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The Seattle Marathon created a massive traffic headache for one particular neighborhood. Black Friday spending was booming this year. The Sunday after Thanksgiving this year was the busiest travel day for TSA ever. Jason has a bone to pick with Uber. // Jasmine Crockett might be the front runner for dumbest member of Congress. // There’s a new type of Ozempic coming out in pill form.
Why can't we build anything? We dig into the Dublin Metro being dragged back into court by the cavemen of Ranelagh and unpack how a tiny, well-lawyered minority can stall infrastructure for an entire city. From there, we bring in writer and analyst Dan Wang, whose book Breakneck argues that China is an engineering state, run by people who build, while America, Ireland and the wider Anglosphere have become lawyer states, run by people who litigate. China lays highways and high-speed rail at warp speed; common-law countries file objections and environmental reports. Europe, meanwhile, risks turning into a mausoleum economy with great croissants, beautiful cities, and a shrinking industrial base. We ask does China's engineering mindset can deliver both stunning bridges and harsh social controls? Does a world of tariffs, security fears and cyber-fragility forces us to rethink who we let run the show: the builders or the barristers? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
#200: Holiday magic rarely arrives tidy, and that's exactly why this week felt so good. I switched my usual Nashville trek to host my aunt in Huntsville, crammed a work sprint into a pre-holiday marathon, and wrestled a nine-foot tree into a gold-and-pink glow that made the whole house exhale. One guest room makeover became a full-blown decor spiral—because once one corner shines, the rest of the house starts asking for equal treatment.We chased the Galaxy of Lights on a clear night, and my aunt—fresh from two knee replacements—crushed a walk through the botanical garden like a champ. The next day, we tested D-Box seats for Wicked and discovered that vibrating, tilting chairs plus a musical equals chaotic amusement with adjustable settings. Between laughs and leaning seats, I took her to my go-to Huntsville gems that feel like community: small rooms, familiar faces, and food that tastes like someone's watching over the details.Midweek, a family health scare turned us into advocates. Without airing private details, we sat at the table where care plans are decided and remembered how heavy it is when no one knows a patient's wishes. That's why I'm asking you to have the hard conversations now: CPR or not, intubation preferences, hospice versus rehab, who holds medical power of attorney, and where those documents live. Plans can change, but clarity spares families heartache when time is short. After a reset drive home, I did a double Thanksgiving—early with family, late with chosen family—and listened to my body when it said to sit down.Also, a PSA for the loyal listeners: I'm selling chairs, not retiring. The podcast room is getting a glow-up, and the stories aren't slowing down. If you love holiday recaps, cozy decor talk, candid health wisdom, and a little chaos with your cranberry sauce, you'll feel right at home here. Tap follow, share this episode with someone who needs the nudge to plan their care wishes, and leave a review with your spiciest D-Box seat take.You can now send us a text to ask a question or review the show. We would love to hear from you! Follow me on social: https://www.instagram.com/babbles_nonsense/
A community on edge as investigators look into what sparked multiple fires in Hilo over the weekend. One fire killed two women, while another blaze destroyed four buildings. Tempers flare as Maui residents give input on a controversial bill that would reshape the future of vacation rentals. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
President Donald Trump’s embattled FBI Director Kash Patel has received a scathing assessment of his first six months in office from some of his own employees. L.A. Man Is Charged With Stopping Freeway Traffic to Film Music Video See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
President Donald Trump’s embattled FBI Director Kash Patel has received a scathing assessment of his first six months in office from some of his own employees. L.A. Man Is Charged With Stopping Freeway Traffic to Film Music Video See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode of Afternoons wit Zweli, Zweli chats with Noluthando about traffic fines. Noluthando shares her story of racking up a whopping 40,000 rand fine, which she got for speeding. She's not alone, as other guests reveal their own hefty fines, with some reaching up to 20,000 rand. They dish about the most expensive fines they've ever received, and the reasons behind them. From speeding cameras to parking mishaps, the conversation gets real about the consequences of driving infractions. It's a laugh-out-loud, cringe-worthy discussion that'll make you think twice about your next drive. Spend weekday afternoons with Zweli. He keeps you in the loop with everything from music and movies to sport and pop culture. Hear what the Word on the Street is, test your skills with the high-pressure 6 Out of 6, and get ready to be entertained. Thank you for listening to an Afternoons with Zweli podcast Listen live on Primedia+ weekdays from 12:00 to 15:00 (SA Time) toAfternoons with Zweli broadcast on 947 https://www.primediaplus.com/station/947 For more from the show go to https://buff.ly/FeeL6wYor find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/pRBikjo Subscribe to the 947 Weekly Newsletter herehttps://buff.ly/hf9IuR9 Follow us on social media 947 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/947Joburg/ 947 on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@947joburg 947 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/947joburg 947 on X https://x.com/947 947 on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@947JoburgSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Not many people like to think about traffic but Joanna Oda says this very topic on IDEAS in 2005 inspired her as an ER doctor. "It helped me understand how things that make sense for you as an individual contribute to a collective problem." And she adds, she often finds herself quoting the episode to others: "fixing traffic congestion with bigger roads is like fixing obesity with bigger pants. It might feel better in that moment but we actually haven't solved the root of the problem."This episode is part of a week-long celebration to mark our 60th anniversary. IDEAS is giving the mic to listeners like Oda to share their stories on how our show led to life-altering moments.
Ross welcomes Gaetano DiNardi, growth advisor and B2B SaaS strategist, to unpack the brutal questions CEOs are suddenly firing at their SEO teams in the AI era: traffic is flat or down, attribution is messy, LLM dashboards look scary, and everyone wants to know if SEO is still “working.” They dig into why traffic is no longer the primary health metric, how AI Overviews and LLMs are breaking the old “rank → CTR → traffic → leads → revenue” equation, and why CMOs should obsess less over sessions and more over demo requests, pipeline, deal size, and overall organic channel performance. Gaetano shares how he's reframing SEO for mid-market B2B SaaS: shifting from decaying top-of-funnel content to bottom-of-funnel “money pages,” optimizing for LLM citations and “money prompts,” and using concepts like “crash-the-party” comparison pages to win high-intent demand across both Google and AI platforms. They also break down why LLM prompt tracking is the new rank tracking (with all the same pitfalls), how AI platform traffic actually converts compared to Google, what “dark funnel SEO” looks like in practice, and why Gaetano thinks classic TOFU SEO might effectively go to zero while brand, data studies, and opinionated thought leadership pick up the slack. Show Notes0:08 – Gaetano returns & why last year's SEO playbook no longer works1:17 – CEOs' top question: “Traffic is down… is SEO still working?”2:17 – Why B2B SaaS is feeling the decline hardest3:16 – The old rank → CTR → traffic → revenue model is broken5:46 – Top-of-funnel content is collapsing (and why TOFU is “dead-ish”)6:13 – The shift to bottom-funnel: BOFU keywords, low volume, high intent7:11 – Flat traffic + rising revenue: the new SEO success story8:01 – What LLMs cite: comparisons, “best X” lists, crash-the-party pages8:38 – Crash-the-party SEO explained in 15 seconds13:21 – LLM prompt dashboards are misleading your executives15:53 – Branded vs. non-branded LLM prompts: why you MUST separate them18:06 – Build a tight list of “money prompts,” not 500 random ones20:06 – Why AI platforms show higher conversion rates than Google22:10 – Dark-funnel behavior: LLM → Google → homepage → convert 24:08 – Google leads have FAR larger deal sizes than AI leads27:35 – SEO attribution is officially “cooked” in the AI era29:27 – Traffic flat, pipeline up 3×: examples from real clients31:25 – Use top-10 stability to prove AI Overviews stole your clicks34:47 – Search is becoming BOFU-first — what that means35:34 – LLM citations as the new leading indicator for SEO39:00 – Exploding topics = more LLM citations due to low consensus41:22 – Engagement validates information gain (why POV content wins)47:20 – What happens to TOFU SEO? (Short answer: it shrinks massively) 48:49 – Why TOFU may survive only for authority, clustering, and links Gaetano on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/officialg/ Tough Questions CEOs Are Asking About AI SEO: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1T_IQXUCXBQtFcLekVFwqv23y8ViuRFJKBIRtn4wcImQ/edit?usp=sharing Does traffic from AI platforms convert “better” than Google search traffic?: https://marketingadvice.substack.com/p/869517ce-4629-429f-addd-518d9342cdff CMOs are frantically asking “what's our Reddit strategy?: https://marketingadvice.substack.com/p/cmos-are-frantically-asking-whats LLM prompt tracking is the new rank tracking: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/officialg_llm-prompt-monitoring-is-quickly-becoming-activity-737 7069814458097664-KLyi/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAj OemoBsmGgXOOcFpcwGVG1B7IlDCvf8io Subscribe today for weekly tips: https://bit.ly/3dBM61f Listen on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/content-and-conversation-seo-tips-from-siege-media/id1289467174 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1kiaFGXO5UcT2qXVRuXjsM Listen on Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS9jT3NjUkdLeA Follow Siege on Twitter: http://twitter.com/siegemedia Follow Ross on Twitter: http://twitter.com/rosshudgens Directed by Cara Brown: https://twitter.com/cararbrown Email Ross: ross@siegemedia.com #seo | #contentmarketing
We have a new thing we’re trying out on Mondays on Soundside. We're calling it Front Page.It’s our chance to talk about the latest news with a rotation of plugged-in journalists and guests, taking a look at the headlines from the weekend and the stories that we'll be following as the week moves forward. GUEST: KUOW politics reporter Scott Greenstone. TODAY'S TOPICS: National Guard Shooting in Washington D.C. Noem says National Guard shooting suspect was 'radicalized' in the U.S. Seattle Traffic Why Seattle traffic got worse in 2024 Light rail’s push to Federal Way gives students, workers front-door access Pigeons Why Sound Transit is waging a ceaseless battle against birds Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What gives? Are the Causeway Police trying to meet a quota? Do they have it out for Scoot for some other reason? Whatever is behind the ticket, he's not gonna take this sitting down!
Investigators are looking into what sparked fires in Hilo this weekend that left two people dead and dozens displaced. Plus what's ahead in the forecast this week after a large ocean swell kept lifeguards busy over the weekend.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Death and destruction in Hilo, which saw devastating early morning fires on both Saturday and Sunday. The City is launching a new way for residents to report problems in their neighborhoods. And Merrie Monarch tickets go on sale today. How you can try to get your hands on the highly anticipated hula event tickets.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On this week's Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss the latest restaurant industry news, including Burger King's menu and marketing shifts, Gen Alpha's growing importance, and the latest data on fast-food and fast-casual traffic. First up is Burger King, which is rolling out a new campaign — including four new menu items — tied to the film “The SpongeBob Movie: The Search for Squarepants.” The brand also stated its intention to double down on beef where its competitors are pushing further into chicken. What to make of these moves? Sam and Alicia share their thoughts on Burger King's play for broader demographics and how it could signal a big evolution for the third-largest burger QSR chain. Speaking of demographics, Sam and Alicia next tackle Gen Alpha and how restaurant chains are making a play for their business with promotions tied to trends like “6-7.” Find out why it's never too soon to build a strategy for the next generation — but also why restaurant companies must be smart of how they connect with younger customers, particularly on digital platforms like social media. Finally, Sam and Alicia discuss new data that suggests quick-service and fast-casual traffic is expected to be slow for the next several months. How might chains react to this reality — and what can they do to differentiate in a “sea of sameness”? For more on these stories: SpongeBob menu part of Burger King's new marketing strategyRestaurant brands start speaking Gen Alpha's languageThe fast-casual category is losing steam
A couple of weeks ago we spoke to the Drug Foundation after the Government announced that Police will begin roadside drug driving tests. Police will test for four types of drugs - cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy and meth - using an oral-fluid testing device. As more information about the testing device has been released, so has commentary. While everyone can agree we don't want impaired drivers on our roads, questions have been raised about the decision to test for the presence of drugs rather than impairment. University of Otago Professor Joseph Boden talks to Jesse.
We often hear people talking about how the money they spent on a tool or ad campaign was a total game changer for their business. Should you do the same? Let's talk about it. Episode Highlights:Where the Pressure is Coming FromThe Magnification of MoneyTo Spend or Not to Spend?If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts so we can help as many teacher business owners as possible.Have a question you'd like me to answer on the podcast? Ask it here: stephanieroyersolutions.com/podcastDive into my signature course: Bring Your Own Traffic!Check out my favorite places to look for fresh blog post ideas!Or if you're ready to hire support for blogging and Pinterest, check out my services.Your one stop shop for organic traffic resources: https://stephanieroyersolutions.comConnect with me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephanieroyersolutions/Mentioned in this episode:Are you grateful for the podcast? Please leave a review today!It's the month of gratitude, so I wanted to take a moment to thank you for listening to the Pay Less for Traffic podcast. It fills my cup when you take the time to share what you're loving about the podcast. If you haven't already, please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts so I can make more of the type of content you're enjoying. Your review also helps me connect with more teacher business owners just like you. Let's work together to make the most of your marketing dollars. Thanks again for listening!
Holidays With Cousin Liz: Part 2. Liz has a present for Chris. Based on a post by storyteller 19. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. We watched TV together for an hour, mostly in silence, which was rare for Liz, who loved to talk during TV and movies. Nearly the whole time, I was hard, but as turned on as I was by having Liz close again, I also didn't want to try and force things by starting something with her prematurely. It felt right to be holding Liz, and I didn't want to rush things. When it was nearly ten, Liz turned off the TV. She reached up and grabbed at my face and gently caressed it. I looked down at her, and we looked into each other's eyes. Her face was lit by the warm glow of the fireplace. She looked so beautiful. I leaned in and we kissed each other, slowly and sensually. This seemed so different from how she was last night, but not better or worse. Last night, we acted like we satisfied a hunger after starving, but on that second night together, we started out slower and more sweetly. We sat on the couch, making out for nearly a half-hour. Liz broke the kiss, and we looked into each other's eyes in the dimly lit room. Liz stood up and grabbed the fireplace poker. she stirred the remnant pieces apart and the fire transformed to a red glow. She adjusted the damper to a slight ventilation and put the tool away. Turning to me, she smiled, then grabbed my hand. I got up and then she led me into her bedroom. Liz closed the door and locked it. She went back to kissing me, pressing me against the wall. Once we were behind closed doors, she continued our liplock while she swiftly unbuckled, unsnapped, and unzipped my jeans. Swiftly she reached down into my bozers and quickly found my straining erection, and started jerking me off. I kissed down Liz's neck, sucking hard on it and making her moan. I kissed down her collarbone and the top of her chest, pulling at her Aerosmith T-shirt to kiss more of her chest. Liz pulled off her shirt, and I kissed her cleavage. She swiftly unhooked her bra and shrugged it off so that I didn't even have to pause on my way down to her nipples. I licked around her areola and then flicked my tongue across one of her nipples. As she started to moan, I latched onto her tit and began to suck on it, causing her to moan even louder. Liz ran her free hand through my hair. I took nearly all of a tit into my mouth while lapping against it with my tongue and then sucked on it, pulling on her sensitive nipples. I switched back and forth between each of her tits. Liz pulled her hand out of my pants and slipped them down further. Once they were loose, she pulled me back up to kiss her. She flicked her tongue across my lip, and then I met her tongue with mine, and we started to french kiss. Liz pulled my college sweatshirt shirt up and over my head. Once my shirt was on the floor, she sucked and nibbled my lip, and then started to kiss down my neck, rougher than she was last night. I was afraid that she was intentionally trying to leave me a hickey from how hard she was sucking on my neck. Even though it would be so stupid, I wanted some physical mark to prove to myself that this was happening with my beautiful cousin a second night in a row. Liz kissed her way down my chest. When she got down to my stomach, she pulled my pants the rest of the way down, along with my boxers. My rock-hard cock sprung up, nearly smacking Liz on the mouth as she dropped down to her knees. I slipped my feet out of my pants and kicked them away. Liz grabbed my pants and kicked them against the crack in the door, hiding that the lamp light was on. She wrapped her hand around my rigid phallus and held it at its base. Her other hand cupped under my ball-sack and fondled the two boulders within. I shivered in pleasure when Liz looked up at me with those beautiful eyes of hers and kissed the tip of my cock. She seemed to make out with it as she kissed, licked, and sucked on the top of my cock. Everything she did felt great, and being able to better see her doing it, made it feel even better. She skilfully rubbed her tongue along the sensitive frenulum while her lips locked tightly, to hold my glans ridge captive to her lustful intents. Then she leaned down and pressed her tongue onto my ball sack, licking against my balls. I hadn't been expecting her to do that, and I couldn't help but moan. Liz took one of my balls into her mouth and sucked on it. It made me feel vulnerable to her passions, but it also felt so good that it almost hurt. Liz knew just the right amount of pressure to use. She stroked me in long slow strokes as she sucked on my balls, first one, then the other, and then both at the same time. Most girls I had been with usually ignored my balls if they even gave me a blowjob, so I wasn't used to having so much time spent on them. After sucking on my balls for a few minutes, Liz put her lips back onto my cock, only this time she started to take me all the way into her mouth. In one quick motion, she took my entire length into her mouth. I moaned as she took me effortlessly into her throat. Liz held there for a minute and then slowly pulled back off my cock to catch her breath. My entire cock was coated in her saliva. Liz took a couple of breaths and then took me back into her mouth. She started to blow me quickly, her lips sliding up and down my cock effortlessly; her tongue rubbing me in a firm swallowing motion, over and over. Liz would alternate from looking down at what she was working on; and looking up at me while she blew me. When she looked me in the eyes, it turned me on so much, but it also seemed oddly intimate, and I felt slightly vulnerable as we looked at one another. After blowing me for a couple of minutes, Liz took me back all the way into her throat and held my cock there again. While I was deep inside of her, she rapidly stroked at the underside of my cock with her tongue. She kept me inside of her mouth for a minute and a half and then pulled back from my cock with a gasp. I thought she would go back to blowing me, but instead, Liz stood up, grabbed my cock, and walked towards the bed. Liz undid her pants with her other hand, and dropped them to the floor as she walked. She lay down on her back and pulled me on top of her, kissing me deeply, I straddled over her, our naked bodies pressed against each other. She reached down between us, grasped my cock, and started to rub it against her cunt lips. I froze up at the warmth and softness of her cunt. Liz nestled my cock between her cunt lips. "I want you inside of me," Liz breathed in between kisses as she started to move so that her cunt rubbed against the tip of my cock. "I want you, too," I said and then, in a moment of honesty, added, "I have wanted you for so long." "I know. Why do you think I have teased you so much all these years?" Liz said, raising her lips so that the head of my cock slipped ever so slightly more inside of her. "To annoy me?" I asked. "That's part of it." Liz laughed. "But the other reason is that I have wanted you too," Liz said. I had one last moment of doubt if I should do this or not. Liz nibbled my earlobe. "I want you to fuck me." There was so much desire in Liz's voice. I didn't know what to say to that, but I knew what I could do in response. Going All The Way. I inched forward to both enjoy this moment and make it easy in case Liz decided to change her mind. She kept on kissing me, so I continued to press forward. I slowly worked my way inside of her. She was tight and incredibly wet. It was hard not to just thrust all the way inside of her. Being inside of Liz felt so good for so many reasons. When I bottomed out inside of her, she let out a little gasp, her body arching in pleasure at the contact of me deep inside of her. I froze in place for a moment to take in the sensation of her cunt wrapped around my cock. After getting used to the fantastic feeling of her cunt I pulled nearly all the way out and then thrust back into her quickly. Liz let out a satisfied moan when she took me fully inside of her. I tried to start off slow, but Liz humped up against me, meeting my downward thrusts. It felt too good for us to take it slow, and before long, we were fucking quickly. She held onto my shoulders, holding her body up off the bed to give her better space to thrust back up against me, or she clenched at my ass, pulling me in deeper with each thrust. Fucking Liz felt so right. It seemed like we instantly knew what the other one was going to do before they did it. Every thrust was timed perfectly to ensure the highest amount of pleasure between us. It didn't take me long to work up a sweat, my body feeling both hot and cold. I was starting to get a little out of breath. If we kept up at this pace, I wouldn't last for as long. I was glad for the release from the previous night, without which I would have come instantly when I first entered her. Liz stopped humping up against me and pressed her hand against my chest. I got off her, and she pushed me down onto my back and straddled me. She held my erection in place just at the entrance of her cunt, and then she lowered herself, taking my entire cock in one quick motion. Her cunt felt even better in this position. Liz leaned down and kissed me as she started to rock her ass up and down, working my cock against the top of her snatch as she rode my cock. I laid there for a couple of minutes, enjoying the feel of Liz perfectly riding my cock. I grabbed her perfect ass and could feel her muscles tighten and loosen as she humped me. I rocked my hips in time with her. Before long, we worked our way back to the quick pace we had built up to before. Liz started to moan more and took shallow breaths as we continued to fuck. It felt good, but it was too good; I could feel each stroke bringing me closer to an orgasm. I didn't want to cum before Liz got off. There was no guarantee that anything would happen again between us. If we were going to break this taboo together, I wanted to make sure to make this the best sex possible. Without breaking the rhythm of riding my cock she pushed on my chest and straightened up so that she was straddling my cock. Immediately her cunt felt even tighter around my cock as she continued to ride me. We both moaned at the same time. Liz pulled up so that just the tip of my cock was inside of her, and then she slammed down, taking it all in at once before pulling right back up and doing it again. I grabbed at her hips and used them to help me better slide in and out of her. Every few strokes, when Liz would take me all the way inside of her, she wouldn't pull back off immediately; instead, she would do a little grinding against me so that my cock pressed even more against her cunt walls. After a few times of doing that, Liz added that grinding motion as she went up and down on my cock, making it feel even better with each stroke. I loved the way her tits bounced as she rode up and down on my cock, and the way her face would contort in pleasure when I timed a thrust perfectly or hit her in a new sensitive spot. I was getting too close to my orgasm, but Liz seemed to be breathing heavier. She started to rub at her clit while supporting herself by leaning back onto the bed with the other hand, so I hoped that she was close enough to cum before me. It gave me a better view of my cock disappearing in and out of her tight cunt with her leaning back. My cock was soaked in her juices and made me slide in and out of her with ease. She started to rock back and forth on my cock, and her fingers rubbed furiously against her clit. Liz's moans got so loud that I was afraid that we would wake up our family, but at this point, I was too far along to do anything to stop. "Awe Chris, that's it, fuck me harder," Liz said. I held onto her hips tighter and started to fuck her even harder. "Yes, yes, yes, fuck me," Liz moaned. I knew that if we kept up like this, our family would hear. I sat up and pulled Liz off me. "Why?" She asked in a huff. I pushed her down on all fours, moved around behind her, put my hands on her hips, and then entered her fully from behind in rough thrust. Liz let out a pleasure-filled, "Oh," as I bottomed out inside of her. Liz arched her ass up against me and pressed her face down onto the bed. I had dreamed about taking Liz from behind for so long, and now that I was close to cumming I made sure to enjoy my fantasy come to life. Liz started to hump back against me. I could hear her moaning loudly into the bedding. I was surprised by how much her muffled moans turned me on. I felt her place her hand back onto her clit, and she started to rub it again. I could hear Liz's muffled moans get even louder, and then she stopped humping against my cock. She pressed her cunt back against me, taking my cock inside of her and then rocking randomly against it as her orgasm hit. As she came, I stopped holding back. I thrust into her a few more times, and with a grunt, I started to cum inside her. I held onto Liz's hips to steady myself as my body went numb with pleasure as I shot my loads inside of her as we came together. Liz's random humps slowed down as her orgasm passed, and she slowly rode my cock. When she finally stopped, I pulled out of her and laid on the bed beside her, catching my breath. Liz stayed like that for a moment with her ass up in the air, and then she laid on her side facing me. We scooted towards each other and wrapped our arms around each other. We lay like that for some time. "That was;" I started to say but didn't know the words for it. Liz leaned forward and kissed me sweetly. "I know," she said. I lay there not believing what finally happened when suddenly a thought interrupted my bliss, and I nearly jumped out of bed. Liz placed one of my hands between her tits and cradled it there with her hands as I wrapped my other hand around her. Her heart was beating so fast, just like mine. "What?" Liz asked. "I came in you, I shouldn't have done that, if you get," Liz put a hand to my chest and a finger to my lips. "Calm down. I wanted you to do that, it makes it feel even better, and I am on the pill, so you don't have to worry," Liz said. "Oh, okay, good," I said, embarrassed by my outburst, and wrapped my arms back around Liz. "Merry Christmas," Liz said. "Yeah, the best merry Christmas," I said with a smile. A few minutes later, Liz got up and grabbed the towel that I had used earlier in the day. "I will be right back. I am going to go clean up," Liz said and walked out of the room. There was a bathroom right across from the bedroom, but I still thought it was crazy that Liz walked out of the room naked. I lay there with my fingers laced behind my head as I stared up at the ceiling, a smile on my face as I rode the post-sex endorphin rush. Liz stepped back inside and gently closed the door behind her. I watched as she walked towards me and climbed into bed, trying my best to ingrain the image of her naked body into my memory. Liz climbed into bed beside me, rested her head on my chest, and pressed her body against me. I held her with one arm and played with her hair. I knew she was awake for a time, but neither one of us said anything. Before long, I heard her start to snore loudly against my chest, so loud that it woke me up when I was nearly drifting off to sleep. I smiled and lay there for a few minutes, holding her and listening to her snore. Couch Time. When I was starting to drift back off to sleep, even with her snoring, I knew that I better move out to the living room before I fell asleep with Liz again. After that night's physical exertions, I doubted that I would be able to wake up again this morning. I carefully got out of bed to not wake Liz again, but I knew that she was a deep sleeper. My theory had always been that her snores made her deaf to the world as she slept. I pulled the blanket over her and tucked her in. After I got dressed, I kissed on the top of her head. I grabbed my blanket and managed to sneak a pillow again off the bed, and I went back out to the living room. It took me some time to fall asleep even though I was exhausted. I wanted nothing more than to go back into the room and sleep beside Liz but knew that I couldn't. After some tossing and turning, I finally fell asleep. I woke up to someone kissing me. I opened my eyes, and Liz beamed down at me. "Good morning," Liz said. It was still so early that the sun hadn't fully started to rise. "Good morning," I said. I sat up, and Liz climbed onto my lap. She wrapped her arms around my neck and held me tightly as she kissed me deeply. As we kissed, my fear that last night was going to be the only time we had sex evaporated. Liz kissed me like how you kissed a lover, and while I didn't know what exactly was going to happen in the future, I knew that the last couple of nights wouldn't be stand-alone events. "My family is on their way to say goodbye, and then I am going to head back to the hotel with them to pack up my stuff." "Oh," I said. Liz lived in Portland, several states away from her family. "So, my flight leaves later today, but I was wondering, since you don't have school for a few weeks, if you wanted to come and visit me," Liz asked, looking down as she spoke. I realized that she was nervous about asking me this. My fearless cousin Liz, nervous at asking me to visit her over my Christmas break. If I hadn't just had sex with Liz the night before, then seeing her nervous about something would have been the craziest thing that happened to me this weekend. I didn't say anything for a moment, and she looked up at me expectantly. "While I mean, I did have some plans," I said. When she started to pout, I couldn't go on with it, "Yeah, I can come to visit you." "You jerk, you were just stalling," Liz said as she threw her arms around me and gave me another huge kiss. I already had morning wood from when I woke up, and I got even harder as Liz started to dry hump me. I began to play with her tits when we heard footsteps coming down the steps. She jumped off me and gave me one last peck on the lips before running back into the guest room. I smiled. I was so used to seeing Liz be sarcastic and aloof; it was odd seeing this sweet side of her. I thought about that for a bit as I laid back down to look like I was still asleep. Liz took a shower first. When she emerged, she was wearing one of my T-shirts without asking, but I loved seeing her in it, so I didn't say anything to her. By the time I took a shower, more family had shown up, including Liz's. They stayed for a couple of hours to have a small breakfast and coffee before they were going to head back to the hotel and pack up. Liz and I spent every possible moment together. Not only did she give me her phone number to make sure we kept in better touch, but she also took my phone and added her Snapchat and Instagram accounts to my phone. I rarely used the apps, and I told her so, but she told me I better use them to talk to her; otherwise, I would regret it. I knew that we would see each other again soon, but I didn't want to see her leave. I walked her and her family to their rented car when it was time for them to drive back to the hotel. Our hug goodbye lingered until we reluctantly let go. As Liz was getting in the car, she checked her purse and said how her phone wasn't in it and that she must have left it in the guest room. She said she would be right back to her family and asked me to come with her to call her phone with mine. "So, where did you last see it?" I asked Liz when we walked into the room. "Right here in my bag," Liz said, holding up her phone. "Why did you say you didn't have it?" I asked her. "So that I could give you a proper goodbye," Liz said as she hugged again, but this time also kissed me. We kissed deeply for several minutes, neither one of us wanting to break off the kiss. Our kisses started to die down, and we tried to stop, but we kept on doing small kisses. We were both left panting when we finally pulled apart. "I want you so badly again," Liz said as she rested her head on my shoulder. "Me too. I don't want to see you go." "Promise you will visit me soon." "I promise," I said, already planning on seeing her as soon as possible. We walked back out to our gathered family. "Sorry it took so long. I had my phone on silent," Liz said as we walked back up. Liz gave me one last hug and then got into the car, and they drove away. I watched them leave, feeling an odd sense of loneliness. I went back to the guest room and laid in the same bed that we had had sleepovers in together when we were kids, the same bed that last night we had sex for the first time in. I pressed the pillow that she laid on last night against my face and inhaled her scent. I lay on my back and pressed the pillow to my face, and inhaled. I felt my phone go off in my pocket. I checked it, and Liz told me that they had made it back to the hotel. She asked me what I was doing, and I told her how I was lying in bed. She called me lazy, and I asked her how I could be both lazy and an overachiever at the same time? She somehow avoided answering me, even though I was confident that I was bringing up a good point. I stayed one more day at my grandparents with my family, and then the next day, I drove home. I wasn't expecting Liz and I to text so much back and forth after we left, but we ended up being in contact the entire time they headed to the airport and after. It was nice having someone to text like that and to talk on the phone with. I was surprised when she texted me later that night and asked if I could talk on the phone. I knew that she hated talking on the phone. I usually didn't like talking on the phone much either, but I enjoyed talking with Liz. She kept on dancing around talking about what happened between us. She would make our conversations sexual first, but any time I tried to speak to her about anything, she would change the subject, teasing me yet again. Texting and talking to Liz over the next couple of days became one of my new routines and habits. Every night we talked to each other, even if it was just for a few minutes and to say goodnight, and every morning we left a good morning text message for each other. I hadn't talked to anyone like this in nearly a year. I had forgotten how easy it was to be in constant communication with someone and yet still be left wanting more of them. We maintained several conversations at once between texts, DM's, and Snapchat messages. Liz liked to send me pictures of herself in whatever cute or sexy outfit she was wearing and random pictures of her making funny faces. I had never really used Snapchat much before that, so sometimes I would be at a loss as to what to send her back, but I enjoyed her attention. Occasionally she would send me sexy pictures. She liked to do this at random times with no prompting, so a couple of times I was with friends or was in the middle of doing something in public, and I would open up a message from her, and there would be my nearly naked hot cousin. She had a knack for sending me those pictures at the most inopportune times. I would compliment her pictures and tell her how beautiful I thought she was, and she would thank me, but when I would ask to see more in another picture, she would playfully refuse or say how if I wanted to see more of her again, then I had to visit her. I was already planning to celebrate New Year's with her, so she didn't have to keep on pestering me about going to visit her, but I had to be honest. The more she teased me, the more I did want to go see her again. Portland for New Years. The drive from my Boise college dorm to Portland, was about five hours. It went by slow thanks to a few places where the road got backed up because of accidents. I should have known that something would happen to slow me down because of how badly I wanted to see Liz. I would text her every now and then when I made a stop or those times when I was backed up in traffic. She thought it would be a good idea to spam my phone with a mix of cute and sexy near-nude photos. I told her how if she didn't stop distracting me, I would never make it in time today, and she would have to go to the New Year's party all alone. I was joking, but Liz did show a little restraint and stopped sending me so many pictures after apologizing. She was just so excited to see me again. We acted like it had been years since we last saw each other instead of only a few days. We talked on the phone for the last hour of my drive. After making another reference to our taboo insest tryst, Liz finally confronted the issue. Chris, can you cite even one religious text which forbids cousins from marital relations? I mentally scanned my memories of so many years of sunday school, Bible Quiz, and countless sermons. I came up empty on actual biblical text! "Liz!" I exclaimed. "You're right! There is no such prohibition. There are countless state statutes, and exaggerated genetic narratives of birth defects. But the Bible is not banning cousins." "Yeah," Liz added. "One of my roommates is also a recovered religious addict. She found out that Isaac and Jacob both married their cousins. And Abraham married hhis half-sister." No way!" I blurted out. "But then came Mosaic Law and some restrictions were added. Yet nothing in the old or new testament bans cousins, period!" Liz emphasized. "That's what really undermines sincere people, in their spirituality, Liz. Organized religious structures and added rules where God simply gives us principles to honor." Then the conversation transitioned to some churches teaching that birth control is sin. Then what kind of sexual expressions are sin. Liz said that some churches teach that oral arousal is sodomy, because a homosexual expresses affection in that way. "Generally, churches really get hung up about sex, and it drives away people. The people often don't have a disdain for God, just a deep disappointment with organized churches." Traffic got cogested as I got closer to Portland, and I got off the phone. I made it into the city around four in the afternoon. I was impressed with the city and found it beautiful. When I pulled into the front of Liz's apartment building, I texted her that I was there, and she met me downstairs. When she saw me, she screamed my name and ran towards me and jumped into my arms and kissed me as I started to say hello back to her. I held her tight, and we stayed like that as we got our fill of each other's touch again. "I am so glad you are here," Liz said as she grabbed my hand and led me upstairs towards her apartment. Her apartment was comfortably furnished with a mix of secondhand and new looking furniture. "How was the drive?" Liz asked. "Long," I said. "Do you want to go lay down for a bit? We have some time before I have to get ready," Liz said. Napping is Code For getting some. "Yeah, that sounds great," I said. I set my bag down when we went into her room. She had a comfortable looking twin bed in the far corner of her room. The moment we were alone inside, she started to kiss me again, only this time there was more desire in her kisses. We held each other close and explored each other's bodies. I should have known what Liz had meant by asking me if I had wanted to go to bed, but sometimes it was hard for me to acknowledge that my favorite cousin and the girl that I had been talking to so much recently were the same person. When we talked to each other, for the most part, I stopped seeing her as my relative and instead saw her as the beautiful and amazing girl she was. Liz led us over to her bed and sat me down at the edge of it. While we continued to kiss, I slipped a hand underneath her shirt. She sighed when I slipped my hand inside her bra and started to play with her nipple. Liz started to undo my fly and slipped her hand inside my pants. I moaned when her hand wrapped around my erection. I missed her touch so much. Finally being able to kiss her, touch her, and be touched back was almost too much to handle. We both had been wanting each other so badly that it seemed like neither one of us was going to try and tease the other one now that we were finally together in person. I Liz pulled her shirt off and unclipped her bra, revealing her perfect perky tits. I took her closest nipple into my mouth and sucked hard on it. "Chris," Liz sighed as I flicked my tongue across her nipple and sucked on as much of her tit as I could fit into my mouth. She pulled my cock out and started to jerk it off even better as I leaned over and began to suck on her other tit. Her hand felt so good, working its way up and down my shaft. Just about every girl I had been with in the past had been needlessly too rough or too gentle when they jerked me off. Liz seemed to know the exact amount of pressure needed to please me. Liz kissed me, biting at and sucking on my bottom lip. I broke the kiss and went back to sucking on her tits, this time nibbling on her nipple and pulling on it harder as I latched on. This made Liz moan the loudest yet, and I made sure to remember that for later. Liz pulled me away from her tits and made me lean back. She leaned down and took my entire cock into her mouth in one quick movement. I leaned back and groaned as she deep throated me, just like she had last time. Liz quickly bobbed her head up and down, swirling her tongue along my shaft and every now and then focusing on the tip of my cock, sucking hard and licking it. If she kept it up, I knew that I wouldn't handle it much longer. I ran a hand through her hair and started to guide her movements. As I began to take control, Liz seemed to blow me with even more passion. I tested this out by starting to thrust up into her mouth slightly while also holding her head. Liz let out a moan when she had my entire cock in her mouth. Her moan's vibrations felt so good on my cock that it caused me to moan as well. Now that I knew she liked me taking control, I started to thrust up more into her mouth, fucking her mouth as she blew me. A couple of times, she gagged on my cock when fucked her mouth too hard, and I said sorry, feeling bad that I did that, but she didn't say anything, instead just going back to taking my cock into her mouth. I was a little more careful after that, but she seemed to enjoy me fucking her mouth. This was something that I had often fantasized about when getting blow jobs from girls in the past, but they had never seemed to like it, and I wouldn't try and force them to do something that they were not comfortable with. I thought that I was going to be coming like that, but Liz had other plans. Liz stood up in front of me and undid her pants, dropping them onto the floor and stepping out of them, spreading her legs slightly, revealing her tight cunt right in front of my face. I leaned forward and kissed it. Liz braced herself by placing her hands on my shoulders. As I went from kissing her snatch to licking along her lips, I felt Liz tremble as I stuck my tongue inside of her. I probed my tongue inside of her, doing my best to lick at different spots and in different rhythms to pleasure here. I worked my tongue in deeper, and finally, with my face pressed right against her mound, I stuck my tongue as far as it would go. I inhaled the intoxicating scent of her snatch, wishing that I never had to go so long without being able to smell and taste it again. I had always loved the smell of a girl's cunt, and Liz's cunt was top shelf compared to the girls I had been with in the past. As I ate Liz out, she moaned my name and placed one hand at the back of my head, pushing me into her so that I could eat her out even deeper. Liz started to grind against my tongue as I tongue fucked her. She let out these cute little moans and mewling sounds that urged me to keep it up. She relaxed her grip on my head a little, and I licked up along her entire cunt, pulling my tongue away so that it just barely flicked across her clit as it passed it. Liz shook at the small contact, clenched her fist in my hair, and pushed my mouth into her cunt all at the same time. I licked along her cunt again, this time sinking my tongue into her. Liz started humping even harder against my mouth, and she moaned louder. Liz pushed my head into her, and with one last rocking of her hips, Liz cried out my name and started to cum. She tried to pull me away, but I leaned forward to keep on licking her clit as her orgasm rocked her body. After a minute, she fell back down to the bed, gasping as she got her breath. My cock was throbbing at this point. I had been so close to cumming when Liz stopped blowing me, and I was dying for a release. I started to jerk off, idly at first as I waited for her to recover, but then quicker as I realized that it was going to take Liz some time to recover. She opened her eyes and saw what I was doing. She looked mesmerized as she watched me. I got a thrill at being watched by her. I had thought about her so many times before when I was masturbating, so having her amazing naked body to look at while I was doing it was almost surreal. Liz idly run her hands up and down her own body, gently rubbing her tits. She saw how intently I watched as she pulled on a nipple. "Do you want to cum on them?" Liz asked. I felt my cock twitch when she said that. "Yes," I groaned. Liz pressed her tits together, playing rougher with them as she watched me. Now that I had an endgame, I sped up, trying to come as fast as possible. I could feel my orgasm building up. I managed to stroke myself a few more times, and then with a moan, I started to cum. My first load hit right between her tits, hitting with such force that most of it bounced up onto the hollow of her neck. I angled my cock down, and my next loads landed right on top of her tights. I continued to jerk off as I came, milking as much of my cum out as I could. Her tits became coated in my cum. I couldn't believe how erotic of a sight it was to see my cum pooling between her tits and clinging to her nipples and nipple piercings. When I finished cumming I fell onto the bed beside Liz. My whole body felt warm, and I breathed heavily. Liz lay there with me until I fell asleep. I don't know how long she let me sleep, but by the time I woke up from Liz kissing me sweetly, she had taken a shower and was in the middle of getting ready. "Wake up sleepyhead, we have to get ready for the party." Being Liz's Party Date. When I was showered and dressed, I hung out with Liz as she got ready. I hadn't realized just how much work and time went into her getting ready. It was odd seeing Liz become even more radiant as she did her hair and put on her makeup. When she was ready, I couldn't believe that such a beautiful girl wanted to spend New Year's Eve with me. She was dressed all in black, wearing a low-cut dress that barely went past the middle of her thighs. All she wore to keep the cold at bay was a black leather jacket and black stockings. She wore high heels that made her already fantastic body even more shapely. We took a Lyft to her friend's party. It was in a large Condo on one of the top floors of a new looking building. The party was crowded by the time we got there. There were so many beautiful women there. It made me think that maybe all of the most beautiful people in Portland were attending the party. It seemed like we couldn't go five minutes without someone greeting Liz. It was nice seeing that Liz was so popular. I knew that she had a hard time making friends back in high school. We spent time drinking, dancing, and talking to all of Liz's friends. I noticed some of her friends checking me out, and they seemed flirty. I wondered if Liz would get jealous. It's not like we were dating, nor could we openly date, but I didn't want to do something dumb and ruin what was going on between Liz and me. The night passed by quickly as we partied. Liz kept on dragging me off to the dance floor. It didn't take me long to drink enough to stop resisting. The more we drank, the more risqu Liz danced with me. I tried to slow things down since we were in public, but she didn't seem to care. While she pushed the line of what we should do in public, she didn't cross it. Liz's friends joined us on the dance floor. I found myself surrounded by beautiful women as they danced around us. Every now and then, Liz would break away from me to dance with one of her friends. I couldn't take my eyes off them as Liz and her sexy friends would grind against each other. Sometimes one of her friends would dance with me. One of them, a petite redhead named Claire, seemed the most interested in me because she kept dancing with me. Once I realized Liz wasn't going to get upset at me dancing with them, I embraced how provocative they were with me. It was an odd feeling as I realized how much one of them was flirting with me. After not being with a girl for so long, it felt strange to have so much attention from these sexy women. Midnight approached, and everyone started to count down together. Liz held my hand as we counted down. When it was midnight, she turned towards me. It was dumb, I know, but I was too drunk to care. I wanted to make Liz my midnight kiss. I was about to kiss her when one of her hot friends kissed her deeply. I felt left out when Claire was suddenly right next to me. We kissed. It felt good, but all I wanted to do was kiss Liz as soon as I could. We stumbled up to her apartment. I tried to will myself to sober up as I helped Liz upstairs. I couldn't remember the last time that I got this drunk. Drunk Liz was flirtier and sweeter than when she was sober. She told me how happy she was that I visited her and how much she had been missing me. I carried Liz to bed and dropped her on top of it. I helped her take off her high heels as she lay down. By the time I was done, she was already passed out. I had hoped that we would have sex, but I felt a little relieved that she was asleep. I was so tired and drunk that I doubted I would have performed well. I stripped down to my boxers and climbed into bed with her. She stirred and wrapped her arms around me. Sleep evaded me for a time as I thought about the past year, and all that had recently happened. It was a new year. Now that Liz and I had reconnected and developed our relationship in such a new direction, I was optimistic about what the year had in store for me. I stirred to get comfortable and must have woken up Liz because she groggily said, "Good night." "Good night." "I love you." It was something that we had always said to each other, but those three words seemed to have so much more weight now that we were in a romantic relationship with each other. I kissed her on the top of her head. "I love you too." Based on a post by storyteller 19, for Literotica.
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On this episode of Bounced From The Roadhouse:Special Guests in 4B: Steve-ORush Hour 4holiday moviesPension from Mom Love it or Leave it Song - Alessi Brothers: Seabird Homeslice ChopperEver been Black Friday ShoppingLove it or Leave it Song - Flashback Friday: Best thing youve ever purchasedBest Years of Our LivesAI Circle KThat's a Great QuestionSteve-OQuestions? Comments? Leave us a message! 605-343-6161Don't forget to subscribe, leave us a review and some stars Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
AP's Lisa Dwyer reports that while shoppers are wary of the economy, shoppers are still out there on Black Friday.
The gigantic home retail store IKEA throws open its door next week in Mount Wellington, just off the city's southern motorway and a stone's throw from the Sylvia Park Mall. It's anticipated there will be a stampede of eager shoppers. So much so, Auckland Transport and NZTA are warning there could be 40-minute queues just to exit the motorway at Mount Wellington. Auckland Transport Operation Centre Manager Claire Howard spoke to Lisa Owen.
A warning from first responders as winter’s first extra-large swell is expected to roll in this weekend. Plus President Trump is responding after an ambush attack just blocks from the White House, allegedly by an Afghan national, resulted in the death of a National Guard soldier.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Holidays With Cousin Liz: Part 1. Cousins reconnect over the winter holidays. Based on a post by storyteller 19. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. I was driving back from Boise, to be with family for Christmas. That semester had been my most challenging yet. I was exhausted and ready for some time relaxing with my family. We usually had the holidays at my grandparents' house in Boulder, Colorado. Being raised in the Arizona desert, I wasn't used to driving in the snow, so the last one hundred miles were slow going for me. It didn't help that it had started to snow again, adding even more snow to the roads. Initially, I planned to get to the family party hours early, but now I would be lucky if I got there before dinner. It was supposed to be less than a 12 hour drive, but that doesn't take in the factors of road conditions and holiday traffic. The snow kept falling, but I managed to make it to the house just ahead of the snowstorm's main bulk. It seemed like everyone was there already from all the cars parked in front of the house. I got out of my car shivering. My jacket barely reduced the cutting chill from icy cold wind. I walked awkwardly to the trunk and pulled out the gifts that I had for gotten. No matter how many times I was in the snow, which wasn't often, I doubted I would ever get used to it. When I was at the door, I took a deep breath. I regretted it immediately because of the frigid air. I quickly opened the door. I was hit by an immediate warmth and brightness as I stepped inside. "Let me help you with that cousin," a silky-smooth voice said to me as I walked in. My cousin Liz walked towards me from the mini sitting area that overlooked the front yard. Just looking at her filled me with warmth. Liz was the cousin that I was the closest to. We were both the only child in our immediate family. Since we were nearly the same age, we had been inseparable at family events, basically since we were born. Liz helped me put my presents under the large Christmas tree near where she had been sitting. As soon as I put the gifts down, she threw her arms around me in a tight hug. I squeezed her back. Out of my family, she had been the one I was looking forward the most to seeing. I hadn't seen her in person in a year, as we had both missed the thanksgiving get-together, this year. We texted infrequently and were friends on Facebook, but she rarely used it. "You look great," I told her. She had her blonde hair in a cute pixie cut, and it was dyed several bright colors going down to the tips. She was wearing a black jacket with a black dress under. Her ears were heavily pierced, and she had a single stud in her nose. Her parents were the extreme religious ones in the family, so they had seemed to stifle Liz her whole life with their beliefs. The moment Liz could, she got out of their household and moved in with some friends. "You're looking great too," Liz said, squeezing my broad shoulders as she pulled away from my hug. I felt my body go warm at her compliment. Liz kept her hand on my shoulders and started to guide me towards the kitchen where most of the family had gathered. "Come on, everyone's been dying to talk to Chris, the golden boy." I felt a little guilty at that, but I knew that Liz didn't mean that as an insult. She was the black sheep, and I was the golden boy. My family were happy to see me, and everyone wanted to spend the entire evening catching up. I enjoyed spending time with them, but it was Liz who I really wanted to catch up with. She spent a lot of the night around me, often raising an eyebrow or giving me a deadpan look when one of my family said something that they shouldn't have. Liz sat next to me at the dinner table, and I finally got some time to talk to her. I tried to ask her about herself, but she seemed to avoid talking about herself and gave me vague answers. We had always been close, so I started to feel confused by this, wondering if maybe in the last year we had finally grown apart. I began to get the hint and stopped bugging her about her personal life. We talked about other things, mostly books and TV shows that we had a shared interest in. Still, it seemed superficial compared to our usual winding conversations that had no limits. Taboo Topics. After dinner, we found ourselves hanging out in the garage. Liz was smoking a cigarette, blowing the smoke through a cracked door that lead to the side of the backyard. This was always the place we would run off to when we wanted to escape the rest of the family. We were doing what we always did, teasing each other. "Come on, you were the one who used to have a crush on me when we were kids," Liz said. That was something that I doubted she was ever going to let me forget about. "Hey, if I remember correctly, you were the one who always wanted to play house and insisted on being husband and wife," I said. "Only so I could kick your lazy ass out when you burned dinner or didn't wash the dishes." "The food was plastic, and we didn't have running water in our playhouse. You didn't have to make me literally sleep in the doghouse!" I said. That was before we had a firm grasp that it was a saying and not literal. "Yes, I did," She said, leaning towards me. I leaned forward. "Why?" "Because it was funny," Liz said. We were leaning so close together, and we both became quiet, which was rare for Liz once she started teasing me. I looked into her beautiful eyes, thinking thoughts that I had been suppressing for years. I couldn't look into her eyes anymore. I thought the year away from her would be enough for me finally to get over my crush on my cousin, but instead, that absence seemed to make those feelings even stronger. I looked up, and my eyes went wide at what I saw nailed above us. Liz looked up and saw what I was looking at. "Mistletoe," Liz said and looked back into my eyes. The part of my brain that held my impulses in check must have been frozen from the cold weather. There was the briefest hesitation, and then we kissed. We wrapped our arms around each other, and the kiss deepened. This is it. It's finally happening. I was surprised by how right something that was supposed to be wrong felt. Now that my urges were finally free, I slid my hand down her back and squeezed her ass through her dress. Liz let out a surprised little moan at that, and she jumped away from my hand and against me. When she settled back down, I started to massage her ass. She moaned and leaned her head back against the wall while arching her lower body towards me and pressing her pelvis into mine. I kissed down her chin and started to kiss her pale neck. With each kiss, she let out tiny little exhales that were both cute and sexy. When I reached the hollow of her neck, I sucked hard. Liz moaned louder this time and ground her snatch into me. I kissed across the front of her neck and repeated the same thing on the other side with the same result. With a finger on my chin, she guided my lips back up to hers. Her succulent lips felt better than I could have ever imagined. Liz lowered a hand down my chest. I thought she was just going to rub my chest, but her hand kept on going lower. I had only a few seconds to realize what she was doing when she grasped my erection through my jeans and rubbed it. I faltered in kissing her because of the unexpected touch. Liz used my distraction to suck on my lip. It all felt so good, and I didn't want it to end. No sooner than when I thought that then I heard one of our family members approaching. We pulled apart quickly and caught our breath as our grandma walked into the garage to get something out of the fridge in there. She said one of our uncles was leaving for the night and for us to say goodbye. "Okay grandma, we will be right there," Liz said. Our grandma left. Liz rested her head on my shoulder, and I held her lightly as we calmed down. Once calmed down, Liz pulled back. Liz looked like she was about to say something but stopped. "Come on, let's go say good night." She didn't seem her usual confident self. I didn't blame her, what we just did had crossed a line that we shouldn't have, but she didn't seem to be upset at what just happened. As I followed her inside, I noticed more sway to her stride that drew attention to her ass. We walked back in and said goodbye to the first of the family to leave. It seemed like that was the cue for others to go because the others started to follow suit. Some of my family stayed at my grandparents' house, while the rest stayed at a nearby hotel. To keep it fair, my grandparents switched out every year who got to stay at their home. My family branch were the lucky ones who got to stay at my grandparents' house that year. Within a couple of hours, the only ones left at the house were my family and Liz's. They finally decided to leave for the night and told Liz that it was time to go now, interrupting her when she was in the middle of a conversation with me. Liz gave me a look and rolled her eyes. "I will be right back." When Liz came back, she told me how her family was leaving and then just stayed with me. "Aren't you going to leave with them?" I asked, confused. "No, I think I am going to stay here and hang out with my favorite cousin." "Okay, cool," I said and smiled. I had been afraid that maybe she was freaked out by our kiss and would want to get away from me as soon as possible. "But you have to give me a ride to the hotel later," Liz added. I did my best to keep my groan inward. After the drive I had, I didn't want to drive again for as long as possible, but if it was for Liz, then I would. "Okay." Liz and I sat in the downstairs living room on a wide loveseat, near the fireplace; as we continued to talk and reconnect after a year apart. She was still elusive when I asked her what she did for work. "It's just some dumb job that I don't like to think about. "So, Do the girls put out more in college?" she asked. "What?" I asked, even though I had heard her. I got flustered as I tried to answer. Liz laughed. "Relax, I was just joking." Around nine my grandparents said goodnight and went upstairs to their bedroom. My parents went up to bed a little later, leaving just Liz and me sitting downstairs alone. Liz asked me again about my dating life. "I don't really know. I am too busy with schoolwork and football. It doesn't really leave me much room for dating," I said. "But I bet girls are throwing themselves at you," Liz said. I thought about lying to her, but we had always told each other everything. "Yeah, there have been some girls that I have hooked up with that I met at parties, but dating never works out, since I am so busy." Liz leaned forward, pressing her hands on my thigh. "Why don't you tell me about one of those times," Liz said. "What; You mean," "Tell me about one of the last times that you hooked up with a girl," Liz said. Her voice became sultry. I hesitated. "Come on, we used to tell each other everything. I told you about what a train wreck the first time I tried to give a guy a blowjob." Liz was right. We used to tell each other everything that happened in our love and sex lives. It was one of the things that had lent so much concrete imagery to my fantasies about being with Liz. "Wasn't that when his pubes got stuck in your braces?" I asked. Liz took her hand off my thigh and hit me on the chest. "At least I didn't come instantly the first time a girl touched me between my legs." "Hey, that happens to a lot of people," I said, no longer enjoying this once I realized that if I wanted to go to war with her on this, that I had probably provided her with more than enough ammunition to take me down. "See. We used to tell each other everything, the good and the bad. I miss that." Liz took my hand and squeezed it. I had been thinking about it as well. "Okay," I said. "I went to one of the fraternity houses parties last year a few nights after we lost our chance of making it to the championship." "The match against the Aztecs?" Liz asked. "Yes, I am surprised you know that." Sports was never something we talked about. "I follow some college football and watched some games. Mostly because number 48 has such a cute ass," Liz said. I couldn't help but go red in the face at her compliment. "Yeah, that game. I was upset that we had lost, so the party was a great way to blow off steam, and I was drinking a bit more than I usually did." Liz laughed but didn't say what I knew she wanted to say. Those who knew me, knew that I couldn't hold my alcohol. Chris and the Sorority Girl. "I was messing around on the dance floor, and there was this beautiful girl out of nowhere dancing right up against me. I hadn't gotten much action for a bit since I was so busy, so when a hot girl started to grind against me, I didn't question it and grinded back." Liz's hand went back to my thigh and gently rubbed it as I told my story. "What happened next?" "The songs that kept on coming up were high energy ones, and we working up a sweat as we danced together. She would press herself right up against my erection and grind back into it, or work her hand down in between us, and she would grab and rub my shaft." Liz started to rub my thigh even harder. "I had my hands on her hips, and she grabbed them and guided them to where I wanted to touch the whole time, Down to her ass which was barely contained in the shorts she was wearing, up to her tits, she wasn't wearing a bra, and then back down, only this time she pressed my hand to the front of her shorts, and I could feel how warm she was and how her wetness was starting to soak through." Liz's hand inched closer towards my cock, but stopped just a couple inches short. "I will be right back," she said and got up, just when things were getting good. Liz came back a couple of minutes later and was holding her AirPods in her hands. "Here," She said, handing me one. "What?" I asked. Liz didn't answer; she just put her AirPod in. Liz had picked an EDM, electronic dance music song. Before I could ask her what she was doing, she grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet. I stood up, and she guided me up over to the center of the room. "Dance," Liz told me. Since I hadn't had much more than a couple of glasses of wine that night with the family, I was far from being drunk enough to dance without inhibitions, but I decided to indulge her and started to try and dance to the music. A moment later, Liz began to grind her ass against me. She turned around and looked me in the eye as she ran her hands down my broad chest and pressed her body against me. Re-enacting A Dance Scene. I realized that she was enacting my story with me. I danced with Liz, enjoying the songs that she was playing and how she moved her body. I kept my eyes on her, taking in every movement. She moved so perfectly, I wondered when she got so good at dancing. Liz used to be so uncoordinated back when we were kids. She reached down between us. She ran her fingers along my erection, squeezing gently as she did. When on the fourth or fifth song, the high beats per minute songs switched to something a bit slower, and we danced more sensually against each other. Liz guided my hands from her hips down to her ass. I squeezed. It felt as if there was no barrier between her ass and my hands with how soft the material was. I pulled her short dress up and was surprised when I didn't feel any panties on her. I felt her panty line when I had been lowering my hands, So I realized that she must have been wearing a thong. Liz's ass felt so soft and toned, she had always been skinny growing up, but now she seemed to have put on some layers of lean muscle. Liz let me play with her ass for an entire song while she rubbed my erection through my jeans. At the start of the next song, Liz grabbed one of my hands and to pulled it up and around to her front. I knew where she was taking my hand, and I tried to rush my touch along. She set the pace and made me slow down my approach to her tits. When she finally let me put my hand over one of her tits, I started to paw at it roughly in excitement but managed to get a hold of myself and begin to fondle them a bit more gently. As I enjoyed the feel of her tits and ass in my hands, I thought for a moment how this couldn't get any better. I was pleasantly wrong. When the next song started, Liz grabbed my hand from touching her ass. I found my hand pressing against her snatch through her thin dress. Warmth radiated from her cunt as she pressed her body into me. I rubbed at her cunt, and she rubbed my cock up and down, jerking me off through my pants. She began to kiss up my neck, alternating from licking gently to sucking hard. The drop in the song happened, and Liz pulled me down and kissed me deeply. As we made out while dancing, she started to grind against my erection. I felt amazing, but I knew that it was only a small sample of the pleasure she could give me. "What happened next?" Liz asked me after kissing me deeply again. "She grabbed my hand and led me to one of the empty bedrooms," I said. That's when Liz grabbed my hand and led me to the guest bedroom, locking the door behind us. It was the only bedroom on the ground level of the house. "She pushed me down onto the bed." Liz did so. "And then she took off my pants, and before I had time to even think, she had my cock in her mouth and started to blow me." I didn't know if Liz would keep up with following along with the story I was telling, but if she did, then I was going to be glad that I had chosen this one. I wondered if she would do this. Making out and grinding against your cousin was one thing, but a blowjob was crossing even further past that line that I had been staring at for years. Liz reached down and started to undo my pants. I couldn't believe this was really happening when she got my belt open and pulled my pants and boxers down. I raised my hips to make it easier. For a moment, I thought that this might all be for a prank. Liz had been teasing me for years. She had gone through some great lengths in the past to embarrass me. I knew this was a paranoid thought, but it held for a moment. My erection sprung free, close to Liz's mouth as she continued to pull my pants down. She looked down at my cock for a moment. This would be the time for her to stop before we did something that we maybe shouldn't. I wasn't going to voice any complaints, it had all felt so good and right so far, but if she was too scared to take things even further, then I wouldn't blame her. Liz leaned down and kissed the tip of my erection. She swirled her tongue around the top of my erection and then started to take me into her mouth. I let out a moan as she made it halfway down my cock and continued to take it all the way in. Liz was beautiful, and the added taboo of my cousin sucking my cock made it look and feel even better. I watched intently as Liz took my entire seven inches into her mouth. When she got to the end, she deepthroated my cock without even pausing. I moaned again. Liz slowly pulled her mouth back off it. Once back up to the top, Liz sucked deeply on my cock head, her cheeks hollowing inwards. Liz effortlessly sucked on my cock. This was the best blowjob I had ever had. She was not only skilled at doing this, but she also did it eagerly. Liz licked from the bottom to top, using her tongue piercing to trace a path up along my shaft. I shivered as she pressed the metal up along my shaft. I had always had fantasies of having a girl with a tongue piercing blow me. Liz made it to the top of my shaft and twirled her tongue around my cock again, holding eye contact with me as she did it. She then licked at the sensitive part at the bottom of my cock head. The alternating feeling of her soft, warm tongue and the smoothness of the metal there made me moan again, louder this time. "Quiet," Liz scolded me, but I could tell in her voice that she was happy that she could cause me to have such a reaction. Liz blew me to the frantic beat of the song we were listening to. It all felt and looked so good. I was getting close to cumming, but I tried to hold back. Liz started to massage my balls with one hand, jerking me off with the other. She bobbed her head and moved her hand in one motion, touching most of my cock at once. When she would stroke downward, she would let go with all but her thumb and forefinger so that she could still take nearly all of me into her mouth, and then in her upward motion would add back the fingers as she jerked me off. Lips of Liz. "Liz, I'm getting close," I groaned. Liz redoubled her efforts at blowing me and somehow managed to blow me even better than before. A minute was all I could last with this increased stimulation, and I grunted that I was about to cum. Liz blew me even harder and took me back into her throat. The soft pressure was too much, and I started to cum. I shot my first couple of loads right into her throat. Liz swallowed a couple of times, something that felt amazing with me still in her throat. She pulled back a little so the last couple of loads filled her mouth. Liz continued to blow me while milking the last of my cum up and out before swallowing one last time. "So, how was that, compared to the girl in your story?" Liz asked as she wiped off her mouth. "That was the best blow job I ever had," I said. I was still feeling such strong bliss that I was unable to not tell the truth. I only hoped me saying that wouldn't get to her head. Liz pulled her dress over her head. She was wearing a matching lacey black bra and panties. The black lingerie looked great against her pale skin. She climbed on top of me, and we started to make out. I began to play with her tits through her bra. Liz reached back and unclipped it so that it fell off under my touch. I continued to play with her perky tits, amazed finally to be touching them directly. I played with her nipples and her nipple piercings, gently pulling on them. Liz moaned into our kiss. Liz broke off the kiss and straightened up over my mouth, bringing her tits in closer. I leaned up and latched onto one of her nipples. She moaned loudly and pulled my head against her tits. I sucked harder. Liz held my head against her tit, and I opened my mouth, sucking most of her perky tit into my mouth. I could feel the heat and wetness from her sex as she straddled against my chest. I switched over to her other nipple, sucking hard on it. Liz started to grind her cunt into my chest as I continued to suck hard on her tits. I swirled my tongue around her nipple, and she moaned loudly. I told Liz that she needed to be quiet, and she answered me by pushing me back down so that I was lying on my back. She climbed over the top of me until her snatch, in all its glory, was spread out above me. As she lowered, I eagerly leaned up and stuck my tongue in between her lips. I alternated between licking along her outer lips and slipping my tongue inside of her. Even her snatch tasted better than any other girl who I had gone down on before. I flicked my tongue up and along her clit after a couple of minutes of ignoring it on purpose. Liz's entire body shook when I finally licked it, and she pressed her snatch down onto my mouth. Each additional lick caused her a mini spasm. As I ate her out, Liz started to grind her snatch down onto my mouth, timing her movements against my licks so that there would be the most amount of contact between us. She to pressed her snatch down onto my mouth for increasing amounts of time, making it hard to breathe sometimes, but I loved having her snatch right up against my mouth. As she rode my face, I was able to stick my tongue even deeper inside of her. It seemed like the deeper my tongue went, the better her snatch tasted. Reluctantly, I pulled back to catch my breath. When I went to lick her clit, she was rubbing it. I pushed my tongue deep inside of her. I did my best to take my time and focus on how Liz responded to what I did. I wanted to make Liz cum, but I knew that this wouldn't feel good for her if I tried to rush it. She seemed to like it when I would lick along the top of her snatch, licking her clit when she moved her fingers away to let me have access to it. As her orgasm approached, I did something that I knew would surprise her. When I pulled my tongue out of her, I shifted down a little and flicked my tongue along her anus. It was a good thing that Liz had her face pushed down onto the pillow because when I flicked my tongue across it, she moaned loudly into the bedding. I licked along the edge of her anus, and she moaned again. I worked my tongue closer from the edge. When I finally pressed my tongue against the center, she shivered. I reached up and started to rub along her anus with my fingers while I went back to licking her cunt. I began to rub her rosebud right at the center and then pressed my finger inside of her. When I worked the tip of my finger inside of her, she froze up. I was afraid that I had overstepped in doing this to her. I started to pull my finger back out of her. "No, leave it in," Liz said, so I did. Liz began to hump again against my face. She moved slower as she pushed my finger slowly in and out of her ass. Liz built back up to speed, my finger working its way in and out of her. She must have done anal before because she seemed to get used to my finger inside of her quickly. Liz built back up to her orgasm and started to grind against my mouth and finger even harder. She let out a loud muffled moan, and then she shook on top of me as she came. She pressed her cunt against my mouth and her ass clenched around my finger. Liz let out one last moan, and then she went limp on top of me. Liz climbed off it and under the blankets. I didn't know what to do when she called me to join her in bed. Once I was under the covers, she pressed her naked body against me. I was grateful for her body warmth; this room was always coldest in the house. Sleep came easily to me with Liz in my arms. Christmas Morning. I woke up at five in the morning on Christmas Day, feeling incredibly warm. I wondered where the source of the warmth was coming from. As I moved my hand, I felt the suppleness of a tit. The memories of last night came flooding back. I was in bed with my cousin Liz! I knew that I should get up soon before anyone else in the house woke up and discovered Liz in bed with me. The door was locked, but if we emerged from a locked room together, that would look strange. I kept telling myself to get up and go lay on the couch, but then I would tell myself that another five minutes wouldn't hurt. Liz's naked and warm body pressed against me just felt too good. I had forgotten that Liz was a snorer, which I thought was cute but would be making fun of her for later. Finally, when it was close to six, I forced myself to get up. I grabbed a blanket from out of the closet and a pillow from the bed. It was a delicate maneuver since Liz was somehow on every pillow at once. After I managed to pull one pillow out from under her arm, I looked down on Liz's beautiful naked body; she had kicked off the covers as I went to grab a pillow. She wasn't covered in tattoos yet, but the ones she did have, looked cool and accented her pale, beautiful body. I pulled the blanket back over her and kissed her on her forehead. Her brow lost its furrow, she smiled, and stopped stirring in her sleep. I got dressed and went back to the living room with the fireplace. The couch was so plush that I fell asleep quickly. The smell of bacon frying and the sound of cooking in the kitchen woke me up. I wanted to get up and investigate, but it was so warm under the blanket. I decided to wait to get up until breakfast was fully ready. I felt someone standing over me, and then a moment later, I was being poked in the ribs. "Wake up sleepy head, breakfast is almost ready, and the whole family is almost here." I rolled out from the blanket and looked up. Liz was wearing a pink apron with white frills on the edges that contrasted with her black band t-shirt and ripped jeans that she knew drove her parents crazy. "Nice apron." "Are you sure you want to make fun of the person who is going to be serving your food?" Liz asked. "Point taken. It looks good on you." "Sure," Liz said and walked back towards the kitchen. I watched her walk, admiring the sway of her hips and the way her jeans clung to her ass. When Liz was nearly back into the kitchen, she looked around and caught me checking her out. She smiled at me, and then she was in the kitchen and then out of sight behind a counter. I had been worried that maybe things would be weird between us after what had happened between us the night before, but things seemed to be okay. I felt a weight lifted from inside as I realized what happened wouldn't drive a wedge between Liz and me. I folded up my blanket and returned it and the pillow back where they came from. Liz had left the bed unmade. I shook my head at her and made the bed back up, which was a struggle with how much she had kicked the blankets and under sheet around during the night. Once the bed was made, I used the restroom and walked into the kitchen. My entire family was there, seated at the small table or on the barstool chairs, drinking coffee or orange juice. "It's about time you are up. You never sleep in," my mom said, handing me a glass of orange juice. "It's my fault. I kept him up late last night catching up and talking," Liz said. "That's why you didn't come back to your hotel room last night?" Liz's mom asked. "Yeah, it got too late for Christo take me home, so he let me have the guest room and slept on the couch," Liz said. "We thought you went out," Liz's mom said. There was so much venom in her voice as she said that, as if going out for a night on the town was one of the vilest things she could imagine. "Geeze, mom, it's not like I am going to go out and fuck some random guy on Christmas Eve when I am in town to be with family. I spent all night with Chris, so unless you think I fucked my cousin last night, then you have nothing to worry about." The whole kitchen fell silent at this, and I nearly spit out my orange juice at what Liz just said. I guess what she said was technically true, we didn't have sex last night, but I still couldn't believe that she said that to her mom. Liz's mom did what she did whenever she got embarrassed by some vulgar thing Liz said, and she stormed away. Liz's dad gave her a look and followed his wife. It wasn't a family get together if Liz's mom didn't storm away at least once. It seemed good that the quota had been met so early in the day because the rest of the family went right back to what they were doing. When breakfast was ready, everyone grabbed a plate and went to the mountain of breakfast food to load up their plates. Christmas breakfast wasn't as formal as dinner, where we would all eat together in the dining room. The dining room and kitchen were full, so we went out to the heated porch to eat. "I still can't believe you said that to your mom," I said to Liz as we sat down. "Hey, technically, it was the truth. I am tired of her constantly trying to degrade me in front of the family just because I am not in college, not because I need to get an education, but in her words, that's where I need to be if I want to find a good man to settle down with. All she wants of me is to be some housewife. Don't even get me started on all of the times she told me I was going to be going to hell," Liz said exasperatedly. "Yeah, technically it was the truth, but still crazy that you said it," I said. I took a bite of perfectly crispy bacon. "Relax, they wouldn't put something crazy like that past me doing, but it's not like they are going to think bad of the family's golden boy," Liz said. I hated whenever she called me that, and it usually would get to me enough for me to call her something back, but I was in too good of a mood to let her goad me into one of our usual arguments. I started to talk lower and hated getting serious so suddenly, but I didn't want to leave things vague between us. If I didn't ask, I would worry all day, and I would rather face the issue than leave myself wondering about it all day. "So, you don't regret anything about what happened last night?" I asked. Liz looked like she was about to say another joke, but she seemed to change my mind when she saw how serious I was. "I don't have any regrets about last night. I enjoyed it, and you did too. What is there to regret?" "Nothing, I just wanted to make sure things are still okay between us." "Don't worry , cuz, I think things are more than okay between us." I nearly jumped when I felt Liz's hand on my thigh. Liz smiled at me, that same smile that she gave me last night when she was about to blow me. Liz rubbed her hand on my thigh. "What does that mean?" I asked. "I think you can figure it out," Liz said and pulled her hand away. "Wait, did you just use my pants as a napkin?" "Yep," Liz said as she grabbed our empty plates and got up to take them to the kitchen. After breakfast, we did the gift exchange under the large fake Christmas tree, like we always did. I thought it was a little weird that we still did this tradition even though the youngest in the family were too old for it, but no one so far had started to have kids yet. It was messed up, but most of my family had thought Liz would be the first to have a kid, from my cousins and me, most likely in high school, according to Liz's mom, but Liz seemed smart and stubborn enough to not prove them right. I loved my family, but some of them were really fucked up when it came to Liz. I always tried to be the mediator and hold the family together when there were fights, but it took a lot out of me. I had to admit that even though we were too old for some of these traditions, I still enjoyed them, even if they were also annoying. I had to be so much for so many people, back at school that it was nice to come home and just focus on how my family saw me and on myself. The version of myself that my family saw, was also tough to uphold, but it was sometimes the closest version of myself. Family Memories on video. After the present exchange, my grandparents got out the scrapbooks and home movies and reminisced about past holidays and events. Liz sat next to me, cramming me into the edge of the sofa. With so many of us in the living room with the fireplace, all the seats were full. Other chairs had been carried over from the kitchen. Liz was pressed right against me, her familiar warmth a constant reminder of last night. As the trips down the well-traveled memory lane were trodden down yet again, Liz initially tried to act like she was bored and didn't care. Before long, she joined in the retelling of family events, usually to defend herself when a story was brought up about something bad that she had done. Still, I could tell that she enjoyed spending this time with her family. Those conversations were some of the only times Liz and her mom talked to each other without any malice, as they remembered their stories. I got a warm feeling in my stomach from all of this. Some things had changed, but they were still close enough for me to be able to slip back into the nostalgia. Throughout the day, Liz would do little things to remind me of the previous night. When it was just us or when no one was looking, Liz would whisper filthy things into my ear and pat me on the ass or grab at my crotch. I would get red in the face. Every time I tried to say something to her, another family member would always pop up, so I would have to stop what I was about to say. I would give Liz a look, telling her that I would say something later, but she would just smile or shrug. She always seemed her happiest when she was messing with me. We had Christmas dinner early. This time everyone sat together at the dining room table. My grandparents said grace, and then we started to eat. I was surprised that Liz and her mom managed to get along the whole day after their argument in the morning. This second party was even better than the one the night before. Everyone seemed to be in the holiday spirit. I wanted the day to last forever, so of course, time flew by. Before I knew it, family members started to go back to their hotels, and then everyone was off to bed again. Liz chose to stay longer and hang out with me again. We found ourselves on the couch again, watching TV together. We were originally sitting on opposite ends of the couch, but the moment the last of our family went up to go to bed, Liz scooted over and lay against me. Having her be close again, and us finally be alone, made my heart thump wildly from nerves. I wondered if anything was going to happen again between us, and if so, what? I hadn't felt this nervous around a girl in years. I wrapped an arm around her, and Liz snuggled up against me. To be continued. Based on a post by storyteller 19, for Literotica. Holidays With Cousin Liz: Part 2. Liz has a present for Chris. Based on a post by storyteller 19. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. We watched TV together for an hour, mostly in silence, which was rare for Liz, who loved to talk during TV and movies. Nearly the whole time, I was hard, but as turned on as I was by having Liz close again, I also didn't want to try and force things by starting something with her prematurely. It felt right to be holding Liz, and I didn't want to rush things. When it was nearly ten, Liz turned off the TV. She reached up and grabbed at my face and gently caressed it. I looked down at her, and we looked into each other's eyes. Her face was lit by the warm glow of the fireplace. She looked so beautiful. I leaned in and we kissed each other, slowly and sensually. This seemed so different from how she was last night, but not better or worse. Last night, we acted like we satisfied a hunger after starving, but on that second night together, we started out slower and more sweetly. We sat on the couch, making out for nearly a half-hour. Liz broke the kiss, and we looked into each other's eyes in the dimly lit room. Liz stood up and grabbed the fireplace poker. she stirred the remnant pieces apart and the fire transformed to a red glow. She adjusted the damper to a slight ventilation and put the tool away. Turning to me, she smiled, then grabbed my hand. I got up and then she led me into her bedroom. Liz closed the door and locked it. She went back to kissing me, pressing me against the wall. Once we were behind closed doors, she continued our liplock while she swiftly unbuckled, unsnapped, and unzipped my jeans. Swiftly she reached down into my bozers and quickly found my straining erection, and started jerking me off. I kissed down Liz's neck, sucking hard on it and making her moan. I kissed down her collarbone and the top of her chest, pulling at her Aerosmith T-shirt to kiss more of her chest. Liz pulled off her shirt, and I kissed her cleavage. She swiftly unhooked her bra and shrugged it off so that I didn't even have to pause on my way down to her nipples. I licked around her areola and then flicked my tongue across one of her nipples. As she started to moan, I latched onto her tit and began to suck on it, causing her to moan even louder. Liz ran her free hand through my hair. I took nearly all of a tit into my mouth while lapping against it with my tongue and then sucked on it, pulling on her sensitive nipples. I switched back and forth between each of her tits. Liz pulled her hand out of my pants and slipped them down further. Once they were loose, she pulled me back up to kiss her. She flicked her tongue across my lip, and then I met her tongue with mine, and we started to french kiss. Liz pulled my college sweatshirt shirt up and over my head. Once my shirt was on the floor, she sucked and nibbled my lip, and then started to kiss down my neck, rougher than she was last night. I was afraid that she was intentionally trying to leave me a hickey from how hard she was sucking on my neck. Even though it would be so stupid, I wanted some physical mark to prove to myself that this was happening with my beautiful cousin a second night in a row. Liz kissed her way down my chest. When she got down to my stomach, she pulled my pants the rest of the way down, along with my boxers. My rock-hard cock sprung up, nearly smacking Liz on the mouth as she dropped down to her knees. I slipped my feet out of my pants and kicked them away. Liz grabbed my pants and kicked them against the crack in the door, hiding that the lamp light was on. She wrapped her hand around my rigid phallus and held it at its base. Her other hand cupped under my ball-sack and fondled the two boulders within. I shivered in pleasure when Liz looked up at me with those beautiful eyes of hers and kissed the tip of my cock. She seemed to make out with it as she kissed, licked, and sucked on the top of my cock. Everything she did felt great, and being able to better see her doing it, made it feel even better. She skilfully rubbed her tongue along the sensitive frenulum while her lips locked tightly, to hold my glans ridge captive to her lustful intents. Then she leaned down and pressed her tongue onto my ball sack, licking against my balls. I hadn't been expecting her to do that, and I couldn't help but moan. Liz took one of my balls into her mouth and sucked on it. It made me feel vulnerable to her passions, but it also felt so good that it almost hurt. Liz knew just the right amount of pressure to use. She stroked me in long slow strokes as she sucked on my balls, first one, then the other, and then both at the same time. Most girls I had been with usually ignored my balls if they even gave me a blowjob, so I wasn't used to having so much time spent on them. After sucking on my balls for a few minutes, Liz put her lips back onto my cock, only this time she started to take me all the way into her mouth. In one quick motion, she took my entire length into her mouth. I moaned as she took me effortlessly into her throat. Liz held there for a minute and then slowly pulled back off my cock to catch her breath. My entire cock was coated in her saliva. Liz took a couple of breaths and then took me back into her mouth. She started to blow me quickly, her lips sliding up and down my cock effortlessly; her tongue rubbing me in a firm swallowing motion, over and over. Liz would alternate from looking down at what she was working on; and looking up at me while she blew me. When she looked me in the eyes, it turned me on so much, but it also seemed oddly intimate, and I felt slightly vulnerable as we looked at one another. After blowing me for a couple of minutes, Liz took me back all the way into her throat and held my cock there again. While I was deep inside of her, she rapidly stroked at the underside of my cock with her tongue. She kept me inside of her mouth for a minute and a half and then pulled back from my cock with a gasp. I thought she would go back to blowing me, but instead, Liz stood up, grabbed my cock, and walked towards the bed. Liz undid her pants with her other hand, and dropped them to the floor as she walked. She lay down on her back and pulled me on top of her, kissing me deeply, I straddled over her, our naked bodies pressed against each other. She reached down between us, grasped my cock, and started to rub it against her cunt lips. I froze up at the warmth and softness of her cunt. Liz nestled my cock between her cunt lips. "I want you inside of me," Liz breathed in between kisses as she started to move so that her cunt rubbed against the tip of my cock. "I want you, too," I said and then, in a moment of honesty, added, "I have wanted you for so long." "I know. Why do you think I have teased you so much all these years?" Liz said, raising her lips so that the head of my cock slipped ever so slightly more inside of her. "To annoy me?" I asked. "That's part of it." Liz laughed. "But the other reason is that I have wanted you too," Liz said. I had one last moment of doubt if I should do this or not. Liz nibbled my earlobe. "I want you to fuck me." There was so much desire in Liz's voice. I didn't know what to say to that, but I knew what I could do in response. Going All The Way. I inched forward to both enjoy this moment and make it easy in case Liz decided to change her mind. She kept on kissing me, so I continued to press forward. I slowly worked my way inside of her. She was tight and incredibly wet. It was hard not to just thrust all the way inside of her. Being inside of Liz felt so good for so many reasons. When I bottomed out inside of her, she let out a little gasp, her body arching in pleasure at the contact of me deep inside of her. I froze in place for a moment to take in the sensation of her cunt wrapped around my cock. After getting used to the fantastic feeling of her cunt I pulled nearly all the way out and then thrust back into her quickly. Liz let out a satisfied moan when she took me fully inside of her. I tried to start off slow, but Liz humped up against me, meeting my downward thrusts. It felt too good for us to take it slow, and before long, we were fucking quickly. She held onto my shoulders, holding her body up off the bed to give her better space to thrust back up against me, or she clenched at my ass, pulling me in deeper with each thrust. Fucking Liz felt so right. It seemed like we instantly knew what the other one was going to do before they did it. Every thrust was timed perfectly to ensure the highest amount of pleasure between us. It didn't take me long to work up a sweat, my body feeling both hot and cold. I was starting to get a little out of breath. If we kept up at this pace, I wouldn't last for as long. I was glad for the release from the previous night, without which I would have come instantly when I first entered her. Liz stopped humping up against me and pressed her hand against my chest. I got off her, and she pushed me down onto my back and straddled me. She held my erection in place just at the entrance of her cunt, and then she lowered herself, taking my entire cock in one quick motion. Her cunt felt even better in this position. Liz leaned down and kissed me as she started to rock her ass up and down, working my cock against the top of her snatch as she rode my cock. I laid there for a couple of minutes, enjoying the feel of Liz perfectly riding my cock. I grabbed her perfect ass and could feel her muscles tighten and loosen as she humped me. I rocked my hips in time with her. Before long, we worked our way back to the quick pace we had built up to before. Liz started to moan more and took shallow breaths as we continued to fuck. It felt good, but it was too good; I could feel each stroke bringing me closer to an orgasm. I didn't want to cum before Liz got off. There was no guarantee that anything would happen again between us. If we were going to break this taboo together, I wanted to make sure to make this the best sex possible. Without breaking the rhythm of riding my cock she pushed on my chest and straightened up so that she was straddling my cock. Immediately her cunt felt even tighter around my cock as she continued to ride me. We both moaned at the same time. Liz pulled up so that just the tip of my cock was inside of her, and then she slammed down, taking it all in at once before pulling right back up and doing it again. I grabbed at her hips and used them to help me better slide in and out of her. Every few strokes, when Liz would take me all the way inside of her, she wouldn't pull back off immediately; instead, she would do a little grinding against me so that my cock pressed even more against her cunt walls. After a few times of doing that, Liz added that grinding motion as she went up and down on my cock, making it feel even better with each stroke. I loved the way her tits bounced as she rode up and down on my cock, and the way her face would contort in pleasure when I timed a thrust perfectly or hit her in a new sensitive spot. I was getting too close to my orgasm, but Liz seemed to be breathing heavier. She started to rub at her clit while supporting herself by leaning back onto the bed with the other hand, so I hoped that she was close enough to cum before me. It gave me a better view of my cock disappearing in and out of her tight cunt with her leaning back. My cock was soaked in her juices and made me slide in and out of her with ease. She started to rock back and forth on my cock, and her fingers rubbed furiously against her clit. Liz's moans got so loud that I was afraid that we would wake up our family, but at this point, I was too far along to do anything to stop. "Awe Chris, that's it, fuck me harder," Liz said. I held onto her hips tighter and started to fuck her even harder. "Yes, yes, yes, fuck me," Liz moaned. I knew that if we kept up like this, our family would hear. I sat up and pulled Liz off me. "Why?" She asked in a huff. I pushed her down on all fours, moved around behind her, put my hands on her hips, and then entered her fully from behind in rough thrust. Liz let out a pleasure-filled, "Oh," as I bottomed out inside of her. Liz arched her ass up against me and pressed her face down onto the bed. I had dreamed about taking Liz from behind for so long, and now that I was close to cumming I made sure to enjoy my fantasy come to life. Liz started to hump back against me. I could hear her moaning loudly into the bedding. I was surprised by how much her muffled moans turned me on. I felt her place her hand back onto her clit, and she started to rub it again. I could hear Liz's muffled moans get even louder, and then she stopped humping against my cock. She pressed her cunt back against me, taking my cock inside of her and then rocking randomly against it as her orgasm hit. As she came, I stopped holding back. I thrust into her a few more times, and with a grunt, I started to cum inside her. I held onto Liz's hips to steady myself as my body went numb with pleasure as I shot my loads inside of her as we came together. Liz's random humps slowed down as her orgasm passed, and she slowly rode my cock. When she finally stopped, I pulled out of her and laid on the bed beside her, catching my breath. Liz stayed like that for a moment with her ass up in the air, and then she laid on her side facing me. We scooted towards each other and wrapped our arms around each other. We lay like that for some time. "That was;" I started to say but didn't know the words for it. Liz leaned forward and kissed me sweetly. "I know," she said. I lay there not believing what finally happened when suddenly a thought interrupted my bliss, and I nearly jumped out of bed. Liz placed one of my hands between her tits and cradled it there with her hands as I wrapped my other hand around her. Her heart was beating so fast, just like mine. "What?" Liz asked. "I came in you, I shouldn't have done that, if you get," Liz put a hand to my chest and a finger to my lips. "Calm down. I wanted you to do that, it makes it feel even better, and I am on the pill, so you don't have to worry," Liz said. "Oh, okay, good," I said, embarrassed by my outburst, and wrapped my arms back around Liz. "Merry Christmas," Liz said. "Yeah, the best merry Christmas," I said with a smile. A few minutes later, Liz got up and grabbed the towel that I had used earlier in the day. "I will be right back. I am going to go clean up," Liz said and walked out of the room. There was a bathroom right across from the bedroom, but I still thought it was crazy that Liz walked out of the room naked. I lay there with my fingers laced behind my head as I stared up at the ceiling, a smile on my face as I rode the post-sex endorphin rush. Liz stepped back inside and gently closed the door behind her. I watched as she walked towards me and climbed into bed, trying my best to ingrain the image of her naked body into my memory. Liz climbed into bed beside me, rested her head on my chest, and pressed her body against me. I held her with one arm and played with her hair. I knew she was awake for a time, but neither one of us said anything. Before long, I heard her start to snore loudly against my chest, so loud that it woke me up when I was nearly drifting off to sleep. I smiled and lay there for a few minutes, holding her and listening to her snore. Couch Time. When I was starting to drift back off to sleep, even with her snoring, I knew that I better move out to the living room before I fell asleep with Liz again. After that night's physical exertions, I doubted that I would be able to wake up again this morning. I carefully got out of bed to not wake Liz again, but I knew that she was a deep sleeper. My theory had always been that her snores made her deaf to the world as she slept. I pulled the blanket over her and tucked her in. After I got dressed, I kissed on the top of her head. I grabbed my blanket and managed to sneak a pillow again off the bed, and I went back out to the living room. It took me some time to fall asleep even though I was exhausted. I wanted nothing more than to go back into the room and sleep beside Liz but knew that I couldn't. After some tossing and turning, I finally fell asleep. I woke up to someone kissing me. I opened my eyes, and Liz beamed down at me. "Good morning," Liz said. It was still so early that the sun hadn't fully started to rise. "Good morning," I said. I sat up, and Liz climbed onto my lap. She wrapped her arms around my neck and held me tightly as she kissed me deeply. As we kissed, my fear that last night was going to be the only time we had sex evaporated. Liz kissed me like how you kissed a lover, and while I didn't know what exactly was going to happen in the future, I knew that the last couple of nights wouldn't be stand-alone events. "My family is on their way to say goodbye, and then I am going to head back to the hotel with them to pack up my stuff." "Oh," I said. Liz lived in Portland, several states away from her family. "So, my flight leaves later today, but I was wondering, since you don't have school for a few weeks, if you wanted to come and visit me," Liz asked, looking down as she spoke. I realized that she was nervous about asking me this. My fearless cousin Liz, nervous at asking me to visit her over my Christmas break. If I hadn't just had sex with Liz the night before, then seeing her nervous about something would have been the craziest thing that happened to me this weekend. I didn't say anything for a moment, and she looked up at me expectantly. "While I mean, I did have some plans," I said. When she started to pout, I couldn't go on with it, "Yeah, I can come to visit you." "You jerk, you were just stalling," Liz said as she threw her arms around me and gave me another huge kiss. I already had morning wood from when I woke up, and I got even harder as Liz started to dry hump me. I began to play with her tits when we heard footsteps coming down the steps. She jumped off me and gave me one last peck on the lips before running back into the guest room. I smiled. I was so used to seeing Liz be sarcastic and aloof; it was odd seeing this sweet side of her. I thought about that for a bit as I laid back down to look like I was still asleep. Liz took a shower first. When she emerged, she was wearing one of my T-shirts without asking, but I loved seeing her in it, so I didn't say anything to her. By the time I took a shower, more family had shown up, including Liz's. They stayed for a couple of hours to have a small breakfast and coffee before they were going to head back to the hotel and pack up. Liz and I spent every possible moment together. Not only did she give me her phone number to make sure we kept in better touch, but she also took my phone and added her Snapchat and Instagram accounts to my phone. I rarely used the apps, and I told her so, but she told me I better use them to talk to her; otherwise, I would regret it. I knew that we would see each other again soon, but I didn't want to see her leave. I walked her and her family to their rented car when it was time for them to drive back to the hotel. Our hug goodbye lingered until we reluctantly let go. As Liz was getting in the car, she checked her purse and said how her phone wasn't in it and that she must have left it in the guest room. She said she would be right back to her family and asked me to come with her to call her phone with mine. "So, where did you last see it?" I asked Liz when we walked into the room. "Right here in my bag," Liz said, holding up her phone. "Why did you say you didn't have it?" I asked her. "So that I could give you a proper goodbye," Liz said as she hugged again, but this time also kissed me. We kissed deeply for several minutes, neither one of us wanting to break off the kiss. Our kisses started to die down, and we tried to stop, but we kept on doing small kisses. We were both left panting when we finally pulled apart. "I want you so badly again," Liz said as she rested her head on my shoulder. "Me too. I don't want to see you go." "Promise you will visit me soon." "I promise," I said, already planning on seeing her as soon as possible. We walked back out to our gathered family. "Sorry it took so long. I had my phone on silent," Liz said as we walked back up. Liz gave me one last hug and then got into the car, and they drove away. I watched them leave, feeling an odd sense of loneliness. I went back to the guest room and laid in the same bed that we had had sleepovers in together when we were kids, the same bed that last night we had sex for the first time in. I pressed the pillow that she laid on last night against my face and inhaled her scent. I lay on my back and pressed the pillow to my face, and inhaled. I felt my phone go off in my pocket. I checked it, and Liz told me that they had made it back to the hotel. She asked me what I was doing, and I told her how I was lying in bed. She called me lazy, and I asked her how I could be both lazy and an overachiever at the same time? She somehow avoided answering me, even though I was confident that I was bringing up a good point. I stayed one more day at my grandparents with my family, and then the next day, I drove home. I wasn'
Hannah Holzum teaches us about what it really feels like to start a food blog in 2025 and why courage, community and simple systems matter more than anything. Hannah is a registered dietitian and food blogger who shares healthy, balanced takes on family favorites. As a mom of three daughters, she knows firsthand how busy weeknights can be, so she focuses on creating recipes that are simple, nourishing, and kid-approved. Her goal is to help families enjoy mealtime together without the stress of cooking multiple dishes. She is only ten months into her blogging journey, but she has already built systems, invested in smart help, and navigated the overwhelm that comes with being brand new. She walks through the mindset shifts that helped her move forward quickly, the early investments that paid off, and the importance of ignoring traffic obsession in favor of serving real people. If you are starting a blog or thinking about it, you will walk away feeling braver, clearer and less alone. Key points discussed include: Overwhelm is normal and starting anyway is the only way forward. Find your people because community shortens the learning curve and keeps you grounded. Smart investments matter including tech help and early SEO audits that prevent long term setbacks. Weekly check ins keep you aligned with your purpose, not just your to do list. Shiny objects steal momentum so simplify your focus and choose one priority at a time. Supplemental income is not failure and can support your growth while your blog builds traction. Traffic is not the point so listen to your community and create what they actually want. Courage compounds and every brave step you take opens the next one. Connect with Hannah Holzum Website | Instagram
In this Thanksgiving Day episode, Mike reflects on the holiday, family, and the evolving character of Traverse City. It's a bittersweet year—his family's first Thanksgiving without his dad—but also a moment to appreciate traditions, good food, and time spent together. From recent crime stories to long-standing local quirks, Mike explores whether Traverse City still feels like the small town he grew up in. He shares personal stories, local history, neighborhood breakdowns, and observations about everything from fast food failures to the layout of the airport and high schools. Topics Covered Thanksgiving Reflections Sending well-wishes to listeners celebrating the holiday. The first Thanksgiving without Mike's dad and the tradition of leaving an empty chair at the table. Is Traverse City Still a Small Town? Recent unusual crime events: The Walmart stabbing last summer. A fatal parking-deck shooting involving car break-ins. An attempted abduction at the Meijer gas station. Why these big incidents still feel like “small-town news.” Population & Geography 2020 Census: About 16,000 people inside Traverse City limits. Metro area: ~153,000 across four counties (Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Benzie, Kalkaska). Mike's spot just outside the city—technically East Bay Township, but “still Traverse City” in daily life. Neighborhoods & Areas Mentioned Downtown District Traverse Heights Old Town Central Neighborhoods Greilickville Acme / Williamsburg “Miracle Mile” – hotels and tourist strip on the bay Tourism & Seasons Summer vs. winter crowds Winter visitors: snowmobilers, skiers, ice fishermen Bars downtown still feel local and familiar in the off-season Traverse City Schools Current schools: Central, West, Traverse City High School (Mavericks), plus Catholic Central. Stories about the old buildings, snow-exposed walkways, and campus redesigns. The near-identical design of TC West and the Columbine High School campus. Airports & Travel Cherry Capital Airport still feels small—Mike knows most of the airline and TSA staff. No Amtrak service in Traverse City yet; nearest connections are Grand Rapids or Holland. Mike's go-to workaround: driving to New Buffalo to catch the train to Chicago. Parking & Downtown Life Legacy of parking meters (now digital), plus multiple parking decks. Cherry Festival setup: rides, games, food stands—including local favorite Gibby Fries. Arnold Amusements (based in Acme) runs many Michigan carnivals. Roundabouts, Traffic, and Small-Town Quirks Late-night flashing signals The ongoing roundabout debate Getting across town in only ~15 minutes even on a busy day Fast Food in Traverse City – A Unique Landscape Chains that didn't survive: several McDonald's, Burger Kings, Arby's, Ruby Tuesday, Hooters Three Meijer stores serving the area (original, Acme/Williamsburg, and soon Chum's Corners) Local burger highlights: Slabtown Burgers, Bubba's, Eastfield's Proper Burger (with commentary) Local Dining Identity Traverse City tends to favor local restaurants over big chains Well-loved local Mexican places like La Señorita Closing Thoughts Mike wraps up with a warm Thanksgiving message—hoping listeners enjoy good food, family, and gratitude—and shares appreciation for being able to create a daily episode for NaPodPoMo.
In this Thanksgiving Day episode, Mike reflects on the holiday, family, and the evolving character of Traverse City. It's a bittersweet year—his family's first Thanksgiving without his dad—but also a moment to appreciate traditions, good food, and time spent together. From recent crime stories to long-standing local quirks, Mike explores whether Traverse City still feels like the small town he grew up in. He shares personal stories, local history, neighborhood breakdowns, and observations about everything from fast food failures to the layout of the airport and high schools. Topics Covered Thanksgiving Reflections Sending well-wishes to listeners celebrating the holiday. The first Thanksgiving without Mike's dad and the tradition of leaving an empty chair at the table. Is Traverse City Still a Small Town? Recent unusual crime events: The Walmart stabbing last summer. A fatal parking-deck shooting involving car break-ins. An attempted abduction at the Meijer gas station. Why these big incidents still feel like “small-town news.” Population & Geography 2020 Census: About 16,000 people inside Traverse City limits. Metro area: ~153,000 across four counties (Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Benzie, Kalkaska). Mike's spot just outside the city—technically East Bay Township, but “still Traverse City” in daily life. Neighborhoods & Areas Mentioned Downtown District Traverse Heights Old Town Central Neighborhoods Greilickville Acme / Williamsburg “Miracle Mile” – hotels and tourist strip on the bay Tourism & Seasons Summer vs. winter crowds Winter visitors: snowmobilers, skiers, ice fishermen Bars downtown still feel local and familiar in the off-season Traverse City Schools Current schools: Central, West, Traverse City High School (Mavericks), plus Catholic Central. Stories about the old buildings, snow-exposed walkways, and campus redesigns. The near-identical design of TC West and the Columbine High School campus. Airports & Travel Cherry Capital Airport still feels small—Mike knows most of the airline and TSA staff. No Amtrak service in Traverse City yet; nearest connections are Grand Rapids or Holland. Mike's go-to workaround: driving to New Buffalo to catch the train to Chicago. Parking & Downtown Life Legacy of parking meters (now digital), plus multiple parking decks. Cherry Festival setup: rides, games, food stands—including local favorite Gibby Fries. Arnold Amusements (based in Acme) runs many Michigan carnivals. Roundabouts, Traffic, and Small-Town Quirks Late-night flashing signals The ongoing roundabout debate Getting across town in only ~15 minutes even on a busy day Fast Food in Traverse City – A Unique Landscape Chains that didn't survive: several McDonald's, Burger Kings, Arby's, Ruby Tuesday, Hooters Three Meijer stores serving the area (original, Acme/Williamsburg, and soon Chum's Corners) Local burger highlights: Slabtown Burgers, Bubba's, Eastfield's Proper Burger (with commentary) Local Dining Identity Traverse City tends to favor local restaurants over big chains Well-loved local Mexican places like La Señorita Closing Thoughts Mike wraps up with a warm Thanksgiving message—hoping listeners enjoy good food, family, and gratitude—and shares appreciation for being able to create a daily episode for NaPodPoMo.
Mark Thompson welcomes filmmaker Steve Boettcher to discuss his new documentary Dick Van Dyke: A 100th Celebration, offering a rare glimpse into the legend’s milestone moment. Mark then dives into the best—and absolute worst—times for SoCal drivers to hit the road before Thanksgiving, along with a lively rundown of holiday breakups, KFI crew shakeups, and the hilarious revelation that half of this year’s Thanksgiving guests may be showing up totally stoned. Rounding it out is Mark’s own beloved Thanksgiving tradition, bringing humor, heart, and a dash of seasonal madness to the table. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The clouds above darken the already moody scene at a windy ocean pier. Waves crash against the stony walls of the wharf while a flag ruffles and flaps in the breeze and a harbor bell chimes from a distance.Spotify listener? Lose the intros by becoming a subscriber! https://anchor.fm/tmsoft/subscribeLooking for something specific? Check out our playlists: Waves, Rain, Storms, Meditation, Fire, Wind, Fans, Nature, Trains, Traffic & Cars, Household, City, WinterLearn more about the White Noise AppDownload the White Noise app for free!Listen to Our Albums Ad Free on Spotify!
This is your morning All Local update for November 26, 2025.
Today... Kirstin Copeland has been sworn in as Montrose County Commissioner for District One, stepping into the role with a focus on urgent issues like the county budget and energy regulations. And later... The Colorado State Patrol is increasing holiday-week enforcement to curb speeding, aggression, and impaired driving, urging travelers to stay patient, stay alert, and keep Thanksgiving roads safe.Support the show: https://www.montrosepress.com/site/forms/subscription_services/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Thanksgiving costs drop—but why does life still feel expensive? Gov. Cox backs Utah Supreme Court expansion Grief and gratitude: Navigating the holidays after loss Turkey Troubles: Avoid these Thanksgiving cooking mistakes Breaking up with holiday traditions A serving of gratitude and joy this Thanksgiving KSL Kindness + the big movie of the week: Zootopia 2!
If you didn’t hit the road yesterday for your Thanksgiving trip, today’s the day when travel ramps up again—and so does the stress! UDOT predicts extra delays on southbound I-15, especially in Salt Lake County and near Nephi, with peak traffic hitting mid-afternoon. Greg and Holly speak with Sgt. Mike Alexander from Utah Highway Patrol talks about how to keep calm in frustrating holiday traffic, what to do if you encounter an aggressive driver, and his top tip for long road trips. Plus, KSL Meteorologist Matt Johnson joins us with a quick weather check: Will Thanksgiving Day be smooth sailing? And what about the weekend drive back—any snow in the mountains?
Breaking news out of Washington, D.C., two West Virginia National Guard members were shot just blocks from the White House. West Virginia's governor initially said the troops had died, but later walked back the statement to say his office was “receiving conflicting reports” about their condition. Police in Hong Kong arrested three men on suspicion of manslaughter, several local news media reported, in connection with a blaze that has killed at least 36 people and left another 279 missing in the city’s deadliest fire in years.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Police search for a gunman after officials say a fatal shooting occurred outside a Hawaii Island mini mart. A family mourns a Navy father who died trying to save one of his children caught in high surf. A man accused of shooting two people in a car and burning it while one was still inside has been sentenced to twenty-five years.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
New fears that a nurse shortage in Hawaii could soon get worse. Why advocates say a recent White House proposal threatens the profession. On Maui, the County Council failed to appoint a successor to the late Taska Kama. And were you hoping to visit DPP's building permit counter soon? You may be out of luck. Why the agency will be temporarily closing it to the public.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Special Guest: Chief Don HedrickWhat's Been Going on - Badges for Hope, Tree Lighting, Festival of Lights, Thanksgiving, SnowfallQuestion from Public - Children's Question: What is your favorite Thanksgiving side?Do you have a question? Email us! citizensarrest@homesliceaudio.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
PJ talks to 3 callers who battled outlandish traffic this morning Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
You enrolled 2 clients but wanted 5.So… what now?Most business owners immediately jump to the wrong solution: → “I need to post more.” → “I need a new offer.” → “Maybe I should try LinkedIn or TikTok.”But here's what we're not talking about enough:You can only reach your income goals if you know whether you have a traffic problem or a conversion problem — and most people are solving the wrong one.In this episode, I walk you through a simple diagnostic process using two real scenarios that show exactly what your business needs next. No guessing. No spiralling. No doing more for the sake of it.You'll learn:
A Navy law enforcement officer drowns while rescuing two children in high surf at Waiapua'a Bay. Police arrest a gunman accused of shooting a 39-year-old man in Kalihi. A raging house fire in Kaimuki is ruled accidental, with investigators saying it was sparked by plastic food containers left on a stove top.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We're getting accounts of a shocking scene near an Oahu beach, where an alleged carjacker tried to drive off with two young girls. Police say their father was able to save his family. The details we've learned overnight. HNN Investigates cases of property title thefts. Two men are being tried in connection to forgeries at three properties, but we've learned of many more potential cases. We look into a scheme that may be widespread. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We're hearing from the wife of the Navy officer who drowned while saving his son off Kauai's West side over the weekend. On Oahu, a suspect is in custody after he allegedly tried to kidnap two children and drive away in their father's truck. And tenants who were evicted at a Downtown apartment building have now reportedly taken it over. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The sound of a kookaburra's laughing call can be divisive. Some find it a comfort of home, others find it a nuisance. The kookaburra often calls at dusk and dawn but sometimes sings (or rather laughs) well into the night. With a superstition being that calls during the night mean a coming rain. Enjoy the sounds of crickets, frogs, wind, and the laughing kookaburra on a warm Australian night.Spotify listener? Lose the intros by becoming a subscriber! https://anchor.fm/tmsoft/subscribeLooking for something specific? Check out our playlists: Waves, Rain, Storms, Meditation, Fire, Wind, Fans, Nature, Trains, Traffic & Cars, Household, City, WinterLearn more about the White Noise AppDownload the White Noise app for free!Listen to Our Albums Ad Free on Spotify!
If your Amazon rankings have been bouncing around lately or your ads suddenly feel less effective, there's a reason. Amazon has quietly updated its A9/A10 algorithm, and it's now heavily prioritizing external traffic from your author platform.In this episode, we break down what this shift means for nonfiction authors, why outside traffic now matters more than Amazon's internal discovery, and how to adjust your book marketing strategy so your book stays visible.You'll learn:What changed in Amazon's latest algorithm updateWhy Amazon is prioritizing high-intent external trafficHow LinkedIn, email newsletters, podcasts, and social media impact your rankingWhy your author platform now matters more than your Amazon pageHow this affects self-published and traditionally published authorsWhat nonfiction authors should update right now to stay competitivePlus: The type of external traffic Amazon rewards the most for nonfiction, business, and self-help authors.Make your mark as an author.Learn more about The Author's Mark — Juxtabook's 12-month professional publishing experience that helps nonfiction authors go from idea to published platform in 12 months or less.Juxtabook.com/authorsmarkLearn more about Your Path to Book Publishing by visiting Juxtabook.com and discover if traditional publishing, self-publishing, or hybrid publishing is right for you. It's time to make your mark and connect with like-minded authors to publish your book, build your author brand, and book marketing. Join TodayLiked this episode? Share it and tag us on Instagram @juxtabkLove the show? Leave a review and let us know!CONNECT WITH US: Website | Instagram | Facebook
A deep dive into data-driven marketing and entrepreneurship with Dr. Alexa D'Agostino, covering two decades of experience and insights.Persistence vs. Delegation: The biggest hurdles to scaling are a lack of persistence for those under $1 million and a CEO's inability to delegate and focus on strategy for those over $5 million.Data is More Than Numbers: Data is defined as buying behavior, what customers hate, when they click, and why they don't buy—it's crucial to listen to what the data is screaming, not to guess.The Shift in Content: Polished, overproduced content is hurting conversions. What converts now is "raw, real, fast, unedited" content like screenshots and behind-the-scenes looks, which builds trust and transparency.AI as an Amplifier: AI will not take over marketing teams but will change their roles, requiring more strategists. AI is only as good as the knowledge it's trained on, and it amplifies what you know.Relentless Execution: Dr. Alexa's secret sauce is "relentless execution"—moving faster, testing faster, and launching, learning, and tweaking instead of waiting for perfection.Avoiding Shiny Object Syndrome: Founders should focus on one offer and scale it to the $750K to $1.5M range to ensure enough profit to hire a dedicated team member before expanding to a second offer.Tracking Traction: Traction isn't always revenue; it can be momentum, interest, waitlist sign-ups, or acquisition interest, which indicates the need to pivot or double down.Single Channel Focus: Beginning entrepreneurs should focus on mastering one channel (e.g., TikTok for product, LinkedIn for education) where their consumer is, to build community, drive traffic, and avoid burnout.Top 3 Data Points: The most important metrics to track are Traffic (are they staying?), Conversion Rate (is the campaign working?), and Cost Per Sale/Lead.Low vs. High Ticket Sales Funnel: Social media acts as the top of the funnel to build trust. Low-ticket sales are a volume play, while high-ticket sales require deeper trust and a longer engagement journey (often six months or more).Essential Business System: Every founder needs a CRM (even starting with a basic spreadsheet like Excel) to capture leads, keep them warm, and follow up, as leads don't just "pop up."Value in the Age of AI: The true value an expert provides is in context, knowledge, and perspective, which AI cannot replicate because it has not lived the experience. This episode is NOT sponsored. Some product links are affiliate links, meaning we'll receive a small commission if you buy something.===========================⚡️PODCAST: Subscribe to our podcast here ➡ https://elevatemedia.buzzsprout.com/⚡️Need post-recording video production help? Let's chat ➡ https://calendly.com/elevate-media-group/application⚡️For Support inquires or Business inquiries, please email us at ➡︎ support@elevate-media-group.comOur mission here at Elevate Media is to help purpose-driven entrepreneurs elevate their brands and make an impact through the power of video podcasting.Disclaimer: Please see the link for our disclaimer policy for all our episodes or videos on the Elevate Media and Elevate Media Podcast YouTube channels. https://elevatemediastudios.com/disclaimer Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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We explore the latest YouTube updates with Jerry Potter featuring Liron Segev on the Social Media Marketing Talk Show.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Jim McTague reports that the economy in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is strong, suggesting it mirrors the greater US economy despite reports of low consumer confidence, observing robust traffic at tourist destinations like Kitchen Kettle Village, a shopping locale established in 1954, with spending largely supported by well-off boomers. Local entrepreneurs are experiencing great success—a dealer selling eclectic electric lamps in Park City Mall is already earning $4,500 per week at the start of the holiday season, and high volume at Costco, where the Amish are major buyers, further indicates available disposable income. McTague concludes that the real economy on Main Street is strong and likely headed for a blockbuster Christmas season. 1954
Watch The X22 Report On Video No videos found (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:17532056201798502,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-9437-3289"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="https://cdn2.decide.dev/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs");pt> Click On Picture To See Larger PictureTrump is bringing the country out of Biden/Obama recession, the Fed is trying to force a depression but because Trump started the parallel economy they cannot complete their mission. The economy is looking better and better, jobs numbers are improving, inflation stable, and prices coming down. The [CB] failed. The [DS] pushed Trump to release the Epstein files, this will implicate many of the old guard, this will also allow the far left to primary those still in congress. Right on schedule. The D party majority will be far left and their policies do not resonate with the American people. The D's have now threatened the US with an insurrection. They have told the arm forces to disregard a direct order from the President. Trump has now warned the [DS] that this is punishable by death. Think enemy combatants. Economy https://twitter.com/profstonge/status/1991484172553318686?s=20 (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:18510697282300316,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-8599-9832"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="https://cdn2.decide.dev/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs"); Existing Home Sales Beat In October As Mortgage Rates Tumbled Analysts (rightfully, given the shift in rates) expected a bounce, albeit tiny (+0.5%), in existing home sales for October and were surprised to the upside with a 1.2% MoM rise... Source: Bloomberg Which lifted the home sales SAAR a little more off record lows (to eight month highs)... “Home sales increased in October even with the government shutdown due to homebuyers taking advantage of lower mortgage rates,” NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun said in a statement. Source: zerohedge.com https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1991504542903726567?s=20 https://twitter.com/RealEJAntoni/status/1991512539382100429?s=20 https://twitter.com/Geiger_Capital/status/1991503881663311908?s=20 https://twitter.com/KentuckyKOT/status/1991505048833319300?s=20 https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1991509759795818939?s=20 https://twitter.com/DHSgov/status/1991532782003044710?s=20 don't feel safe walking down the street!” There are tens of millions of criminal illegals in our country. “Traffic is terrible!” There are tens of millions of criminal illegals in our country. “Healthcare is too expensive!” There are tens of millions of criminal illegals in our country. “Welfare spending is through the roof!” There are tens of millions of criminal illegals in our country. “I can't afford a car!” There are tens of millions of criminal illegals in our country. “I can't afford a house!” There are tens of millions of criminal illegals in our country. Many problems. A simple answer. https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1991520526112813547?s=20 https://twitter.com/RealEJAntoni/status/1991506013086970091?s=20 https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/1991500451716690190?s=20 https://twitter.com/JoeLang51440671/status/1991308899056537803?s=20 Political/Rights https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/1991311327864770978?s=20 https://twitter.com/TriciaOhio/status/1991244099714744492?s=20 arrested her in May. https://twitter.com/JimFergusonUK/status/1991402702052512238?s=20 lie their way past U.S. agents and disappear into the country. Bondi laid it out: • Children flown alone through U.S. airports • Coached scripts to deceive Border Patrol • Fake stories prepared in advance • Smugglers charging $40,000 per person • Over $7 million moved through Zelle • $18 million in cash profits for the cartel • All happening on American soil, under Biden's watch This isn't “migration.” This isn't “asylum.” This is organized crime, run like a multinational corporation, exploiting children, gaming U.S. airports, and making a fortune off the border collapse. Where is the outrage? Where is the accountability? Where is the media? This is what President Trump has been warning about for years — and the regime mocked him. Now the truth is undeniable. The border wasn't “broken.” It was wide open — by design. And innocent people have paid the price. America deserves better. America deserves security. America deserves justice. And justice is coming. 30,000 Missing Illegal Immigrant Children Located: Tom Homan More than 30,000 missing illegal immigrant children have been located by the Trump administration, border czar Tom Homan said in a Fox News interview clip published on Nov. 18. Source: zerohedge.com https://twitter.com/FBIDDBongino/status/1991226916980789704?s=20 children online and coerces them into acts of violence – self harm, animal abuse, suicide, and sexual abuse. At the beginning of the year, our teams redoubled our efforts to go after these networks and eliminate them. We have more than 300 investigations connected to this network going on nationwide, as we speak, and that number is growing. It is a top priority for us. Out of @FBIBaltimore - recently our teams worked with partners to arrest an individual who had allegedly targeted 5 victims – one as young as 13. The individual is now in federal custody, and we expect more information to be released on this case soon. Out of Arizona - recently, we had another case – where an indictment revealed an individual in federal custody had been found allegedly targeting kids as an affiliate of 764. The 9 victims involved were between 11-15 years old. Some of the allegations involve distributing child pornography, cyberstalking, animal crushing, and even conspiring to provide material support to terrorists. I cannot emphasize enough - this is a major issue in America that not enough people know about. We are asking all parents to please be on guard – check in with your kids and monitor their internet usage. Consider your options for putting safeguards in place that limit what these networks can reach. In the meantime, this @FBI will keep working day and night to destroy this network. It is a top priority. We are making progress, but the work isn't done. God bless America, and all those who defend Her. Mark Epstein says his brother Jeffrey spoke with Trump after 2016 election The brother of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein said his brother spoke with President Trump after the 2016 election. “Jeffrey told me that Trump — it was after the election that Trump called him, and it was sort of like, ‘Can you believe this?' Because nobody believed Trump was going to win,” Mark Epstein said during an appearance on CNN's “Erin Burnett OutFront.” Source: thehill.com https://twitter.com/RepJamesComer/status/1991512335673106808?s=20 https://twitter.com/TheNotoriousLMC/status/1991236885016965450?s=20 now has until December 19, 2025, to comply. Bondi emphasized during a press conference: "We will continue to follow the law and encourage maximum transparency" while protecting victims' identities. What to Expect? — Files include internal DOJ communications, investigative notes, and materials on Epstein's sex trafficking network, which involved over 250 underage victims across his properties in New York, Florida, and elsewhere. — The release isn't guaranteed to be fully unredacted. The law allows withholding info that could jeopardize ONGOING federal investigations or identify victims. AFTER Epstein was charged), Democrat Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett, and many more. Perhaps the truth about these Democrats, and their associations with Jeffrey Epstein, will soon be revealed, because I HAVE JUST SIGNED THE BILL TO RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES! As everyone knows, I asked Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, to pass this Bill in the House and Senate, respectively. Because of this request, the votes were almost unanimous in favor of passage. At my direction, the Department of Justice has already turned over close to fifty thousand pages of documents to Congress. Do not forget — The Biden Administration did not turn over a SINGLE file or page related to Democrat Epstein, nor did they ever even speak about him. Democrats have used the “Epstein” issue, which affects them far more than the Republican Party, in order to try and distract from our AMAZING Victories, including THE GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL TAX CUT BILL, Strong Borders, No Men in Women's Sports or Transgender for Everyone, ending DEI, stopping Biden's Record Setting Inflation, lowering Prices, Biggest Tax and Regulation Cuts in History, ending EIGHT Wars, rebuilding our Military, knocking out Iran's Nuclear capability, getting Trillions of Dollars INVESTED in the U.S.A., creating the “HOTTEST” Country anywhere in the World, and even delivering a HUGE DEFEAT to the Democrats on the recent Shutdown Disaster. For years our Great Nation has had to endure RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA, UKRAINE, UKRAINE, UKRAINE, IMPEACHMENT HOAX #1, IMPEACHMENT HOAX #2, and many other Democrat created Witch Hunts and Scams, all of which have been so terrible and divisive for our Country, and have been done to confuse, deflect, and distract from the GREAT JOB that Republicans, and the Trump Administration, are doing.