Podcasts about Underneath

Watch every episode ad-free & uncensored on Patreon: https://patreon.com/dannyjones Geoffrey Drumm from @thelandofchem  does a full breakdown and analysis of the new SAR scans of the Egyptian pyramids. Radar engineer Filippo Biondi's data shows eight clearly man-made, tube-like structures that go more than a kilometer deep under the Khafre Pyramid, ending at an 80-meter chamber. Biondi used his proprietary "Biondi Protocol" to translate the synthetic aperture radar Doppler tomography. Geoffrey Drumm points out major problems with the raw data and how it is being translated. SPONSORS https://rhonutrition.com/discount/danny - Use code DANNY for 20% OFF everything! https://whiterabbitenergy.com/?ref=DJP - Use code DJP for 20% off EPISODE LINKS  @thelandofchem https://www.instagram.com/thelandofchem FOLLOW DANNY JONES https://www.instagram.com/dannyjones https://twitter.com/jonesdanny OUTLINE 00:00 - Summary of Land of Chem theory 03:19 - Function of the Bent Pyramid 06:07 - Function of the Great Pyramid 20:42 - Natural gas reserves below the Giza Plateau 33:55 - The big "void" above the Grand Gallery of the Great Pyramid 58:03 - Sonochemistry in the Great Pyramid 1:15:09 - Proof of chemical reactions inside the pyramids 1:23:35 - Heat exchanger in the Great Pyramid 1:27:56 - Function of the Central Pyramid 1:32:42 - The Great Pyramid's circuit breaker system 1:37:17 - Problem with the new SAR scans 1:55:20 - False discoveries using Biondi Protocol & SAR scans 2:18:03 - Egyptians are not happy about the SAR scans 2:21:24 - Debunking the new SAR scans of the Central Pyramid 2:28:39 - Flawed SAR scans of modern structures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Quaranteam - Dave In Dallas: Part 11 Cleanup: The Air Force arrives with a mop. Based on a post by RonanJWilkerson, in 12 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels. Dave's second quandary was his position, nearly on the middle of the pad, left him seriously exposed. Applying the aggressiveness taught by Carter, he knew Liv had him protected to the right, so he closed with the occupied building, moving to the far corner. A quick look showed him there were again two doors, like the other building. And two men emerging from the far door. Turning their backs to him as they followed a third man who was just rounding the opposite corner. That put him out of Dave's sight, but into Liv's. As the men receded, Dave fired into their backs. Neither was at a sprint, so they fell forward without the dramatic tumbling of the earlier target. A simultaneous rifle crack announced the death of the lead in that trio. He paused. Dave couldn't hear any sounds coming from the building. He remained wary, uneasy. How many more will it take? He waited. An eternity later, the door on one of the smaller buildings slowly opened. Two hands held high and outward came into view, followed by the woman they were attached to. She moved slowly. She was too far away for Dave to read her facial expression but she was giving all the big outward signs of surrender. Two more women exited another of the smaller buildings. One was an average build, the other rotund. The latter's feet seemed reluctant to move. Great. Don't know if there's anyone left in the big building, and now I have unknowns coming in from the houses. Other women began issuing from what must be the dwellings. Eight in all. As they neared, most had curious, guarded expressions on their faces. The big one had a look like she rarely smiled, ever. "Alright, that's close enough! Just stop where you are. Pick a leader and send her forward." There was a brief discussion which resulted in a medium height brunette walking towards him. The third woman out glared daggers into the back of the brunette's skull. The angry one argued hard with all of them, but none seemed interested in anything she had to say. Dave waited until the brunette reached easy speaking distance. "Stop right there. What's your name?" "Sandy." "How many of you are there?" "I don't rightly know." She looked thoughtful. "All the men were in the community building. Us women and our kids were in our homes. Jeb, the man that bound me to him, came in awhile ago with a new woman. She was out, like from the shot he gave me before." That confirms they're using the QT serum . "If he bound you to him with that shot, why are you awake?" "Oh, that was a few weeks back for me. I knew him a little bit before lockdowns started. Then he just shows up and says he has this safe place to stay and we can both be safe from the virus runnin' round, but I have to take this shot and sleep with him. He's been an okay guy, and I ain't had no boyfriend in several months anyway. 'Sides, he didn't tell me that I couldn't be with anybody else after that. Which sucks, but mostly he's been okay. Only been an asshole a few times, but that's pretty fair for most guys I've met. No offense." Dave smirked. "Sandy, how many men are there in your community?" She stopped, looking off to the side, thinking. "Well, there was the ten that left saying' they's gonna raid a rich man's house for somethin', never told us what. Now we know why. They were out collectin' poon like we's just a bunch a deer and no tag limit." Sandy paused. "Is that why you're here? You come to scoop us up and make us your whores?" "No, ma'am." We killed more than ten, so that can't be all . "If you ladies were bound to these men, we'll need to take you to the people that hand out the vaccine to see what they can do for you. But ma'am, please, how many men total are there?" The far door of the community building opened slowly, and a woman stepped out. It was the one Dave had seen inject one of the women right before she got raped. "Get over with the others. Is anyone else inside?" The woman shook her head no and moved swiftly to join the pack. "Oh, right. Well, after the ten left, all six of the others took off saying' they could do just as good somewhere else. But only three of them came back, including Jeb. As soon as they's back they took the nurse, that's the woman that just came out, well they took her and the two women bound to two of the guys that didn't come back and a bit later those women are out cold again. I thought the whole shot thing was permanent, but maybe not if the guy's dead? I hope so, 'cuz we're about to be in a bad way aren't we?" Thirteen. Thirteen men here. Dave counted off in his head. He thought they'd taken out thirteen, but he wasn't going to make assumptions. Especially when one part of his brain was parodying an old farcical movie about how many bullets had been fired from a gun. An 80's flick set in the 50's. "Alright Sandy, is there anyone else left in the houses?" "Just the kids, and some unconscious women. The men said they'd gotten them; reassigned?" She looked frustrated. "Guess I still wasn't good enough to keep that asshole by m'self." Dave deliberately gave Sandy an appraising look. "I think that has more to do with his greed than your looks or personality." "Well ain't you sweet?" Sandy licked her lips and looked Dave up and down. "Easy, I meant every word I said, but I already have several partners. Those six that left attacked my house." Sandy's face dropped. "I don't know if I should hate your guts for killing Jeb, or thank you, for the same thing." After a pause she spoke again. "You should be careful of Debbie. Her husband brought her here for some kinda rebel nation shit. She's already pissed he came back with some hot blonde from a rich man's house. But not so mad at him she's just gonna let you killin' him slide." "Is she the rather large woman that looks like she sucked on an entire lemon tree?" "That's the one." "How 'bout we settle on neutrality for now? Look, let's get all of you back in your homes and warm. I'll need to call the authorities to make sure you all get taken care of before that serum starts doing ugly things." Sandy walked back to the assembled throng. Another debate broke out. Debbie leading a third of the group in angry objections. Then she turned to face Dave. "Where's our men? What gives you the right to come bargin' in here?" She headed for the far end of the building. Several others followed, more than just the ones that had agreed with her. Dave knew things would turn ugly as soon as these women saw the dead bodies. His fastest route into the open yard space was behind him. He sprinted the way he'd come, entering the yard through the gap just as the women began kneeling near selected bodies. By the women's placement, some of the men must have sprinted from the building's edge. Instead of a clump near the corner, there was a line of a few reaching towards the tree line. Dave felt a cold turn inside. Rationally, he could see the line ended well before the trees, suggesting Liv had taken all of them down before they got close. But could one have gotten through? That thought was interrupted by Debbie leaving the line of dead, beginning to search the yard and moving as quickly as her thick legs would carry her. Dave moved to get clear of the gap and the bodies just beyond it. Several of the other women left the line of dead as well. They slowly swarmed about the open space while Debbie made a beeline for the gap. Then she noticed a body in the grass. Fury returned to her face after a brief look of relief. Then she paused. Her chest was already heaving from exertion. When she faced Dave, the anguish was obvious. "You fucking coward! You shot 'em in the back! You shot my husband!" She began a slow charge at him. Dave sorted through his options. The only sure way he had of stopping this woman was his weapon, but he had no desire to shoot an unarmed woman grieving her husband. He could outrun her easily, but he needed to stay in the area. For a moment, Dave's brain played an image of him making short sprints and the woman chasing after him like some schoolyard game. Not helping dammit . Dave took a few steps backwards, bringing him near the back wall of the community building. He noticed the dryer vent again, which meant the pile of pipes wasn't far. He'd have to be careful if he backpedaled any more. Falling on his ass would not engender obedience or respect. Debbie's tirade ended in a screech as she reached into her pocket. Her hand came back out with a small revolver. Shit. Shit. Shit. Dave brought his weapon up faster than her and pulled his trigger. Click . No round fired. The weapon jammed. Shit . Dave dove sideways and backwards just as Debbie fired. He felt a smack on his shoulder as he fell. His hand landed on the pipe pile. He grabbed and rolled away from the wall as another shot spanged off the brick. As he rolled, he swung one arm, releasing one of the two rods he'd snagged. He threw one leg out and came up from his roll, facing Debbie as she recovered from the rod that hit her. Her motion and his brought them in close proximity. On instinct, Dave snapped out with the remaining rod, striking Debbie's wrist. She shrieked in pain as she dropped the pistol. Dave followed up with two strikes to her knee before stepping back into a ready stance. Debbie cried out, but still managed one step forward before the side of her head exploded. Dave turned from Debbie's corpse to scan the area. All of the other women were on the ground. Clearly, they'd done the math in their head and figured out he had a partner in the trees. "Don't make us shoot anyone else. We only came here because we were attacked. The people that attacked us and another house are now all dead. We've done what we came for. We are not leaving you hanging. We know you've been given Quaranteam doses so your lives are bound to these men. There is a way to free you from that bond." Dave decided a bit of vague spitballing could be useful here and played it fast and loose based on what he'd learned in the past 24 hours. "Well, not exactly free you, but transfer that bond to someone else. This time, you will have a choice in that bonding. But, I will not countenance any threat to myself or my partner. And as you can see, she is very protective of me as well. You can also see she is a damn good shot. I want all of you to gather over here, in the lee of this building, while I get someone here to help." The women got up, moving slowly so as not to provoke Dave or his hidden partner. Once they were all clumped together, he pulled out his cell phone. Time to call Detective Verratti. Chapter 13; Cleanup. October 29, 2020 8:20am "Wait, wait, wait. What do you mean you and Olivia are at the compound? Didn't you say you and your special forces friend; Carter? That the two of you were heading to the compound?" On another call, Dave would have switched ears by now. The burning in his left shoulder threatened to make that shift a very painful decision. "No, detective, I simply said we." "Dammit, professor, why the hell wouldn't you take the trained spec-ops guy on something; oh, fuck." "Exactly. Carter and his wife have been dead for two months now. Carter was the security expert in our prepper community. He ran us through many drills on how to protect ourselves and those around us. Olivia is an excellent long-range shot. She proved it again today. Took out half the compound with her sniping. Shot one that was coming at me with a.38, when my gun jammed." "Okay, okay. Damn. Look, I contacted the Air Force when you sent me the text saying you were there. As soon as the liaison red off the coordinates, whoever was on the other end of the phone got pissed. If I overheard correctly, they gathered a small force and headed that way by chopper. I think they lifted off about twenty minutes ago. Expect them in less than an hour. If they arrive in the same mood their boss was in, keep your head down. I know I'm already in deep shit. After getting shouted at over the phone, the Air Force liaison went into my boss' office and shouted for ten minutes straight. Professor; I'm sorry I got you into this." Dave signed off that call, then texted Liv. -Sling your rifle, come into the glade with pistol drawn. He stuffed his phone back in his pocket and waited. Half his energy was devoted to ignoring the pain in his arm. The adrenaline and other wonderful bio-chemicals the body produces during high stress situations all drained out in the past ten minutes so nothing got in the way of his arm screaming at his head for doing damn fool things. On the plus side, the bleeding had stopped. Mostly. As long as he didn't move it. The blood that had come out was enough to stain most of his sleeve, but not significantly impair his thinking from blood loss. Liv emerged from the tree line with all the charisma of a warrior queen. As Dave requested, her rifle was slung cross body, and her 10mm pistol was in her hands, held low, as her eyes scanned her surroundings. She took a bit of extra 'dwell time' when her eyes passed over the assembled women. Liv strode purposefully across the ground, halting at a position within easy talking range, yet too far to make them both a single target. Dave looked her over, examining her face and posture. Concern for the psychological impact of this on Olivia was uppermost in his mind. Great time to be worried about that, huh? After all the fighting is done. Genius . He snapped himself back to reality. There would be time later for self-recrimination. Liv's visual scanning kept lingering on Dave's left shoulder. "We need to treat that. It'll be tricky to do while maintaining security." "There's an Air Force team on their way. Detective Verratti said they may be unhappy, but I'm sure they'll have a medic. Or at least a first aid bag." "How long?" "Less than an hour. Sounds like forty minutes, most likely." "That arm shouldn't wait that long. You need stitches." "Got any in your back pocket, Liv?" Dave hadn't meant to get testy, but the pain was eroding his 'nice function' and the conversation felt like it was spiraling already. The flat look from Olivia carried a tinge of hurt, and forgiveness, and her own self-restraint. "Sorry, Olivia." She nodded in response, her eyes once again on their charges. One of them stood and moved slowly towards Dave. Livy squared her shoulders to the woman, but made no other change in her focus. When the woman was halfway to him, Dave recognized her as the lady that came out of the building as he spoke with Sandy. The one Sandy identified as a nurse. "Sir, would you let me look at your wound? I'm a nurse." Liv looked at him cautiously, then gave him one slow blink. Dave restrained himself from chuckling. From her, the slow blink meant anything from 'sure' to 'don't make me say I told you so'. Dave nodded at the woman. She approached slowly, then cautiously brought one hand up to examine his wound. She pulled back on the shirt to ascertain the extent of the injury. "I can treat it temporarily for now. You need stitches; which we don't have. And a painkiller. All they have here for that is alcohol, marijuana and meth. None of which I would recommend." Dave chuckled. With her finger so close, his shaking caused her to jab the side of the open gash. Dave flinched and gritted his teeth. "Oh, I'm so sorry." The nurse jumped back, pulling her hand back to her chest. Her other hand clasped the offending one closely, like she was putting it in time out. "It's okay, ma'am. I'm the one that moved suddenly." "Parker. My name is Parker." "Dave." "Well, Dave, you've got a decent flesh wound that will make a good reminder scar once it heals. You need to get stitches as soon as possible. Like today. Wait too long and it won't do any good. In the meantime, I can bandage it up. I'll need to go inside to get some clean cloth, though." Her eyes held the obvious question of whether he would let her. "How did you wind up here?" "I was on a transport from the vaccine center on my way to my Oracle designated partner when the bus got hijacked. Fifteen of us were diverted from someone we'd chosen to these guys that made their choices just by looking at us. They went in order, so whoever had priority got first pick, and so on." That matched what Verratti told Dave. More importantly, she didn't hesitate and there was no sign of falsehood in her eyes or face. Carter taught him to be careful who you trust, but you have to trust someone. There was a haunted look in her eyes, but no deception. "Liv, can you escort this nurse inside so she can get something to bandage me with?" The young brunette that had known him longer than anyone left alive gave him a funny look. "Or maybe you escort her, so you can sit down and put your arm on a table while she does her work. Should be easier for both of you that way." The nurse's face immediately took on a restrained, but amused look. "Don't say it, let's go," said Dave with a sigh. He followed her back around to the front of the building. She entered through the first door. It opened into the kitchen area. In short order, she scooped up the first aid kit and led Dave into the dining space. The room still smelled of the recent nonconsensual ruttings. Parker visibly flinched when the smell hit her. She came to a dead stop when she saw the body lying against the wall. The look on her face suggested her desire to not be here, and not be reminded of the events of this morning and her part in them, was warring with her professional instincts. Dave watched as she composed herself and ushered him to take a seat with just a hand gesture. Dave sat so Parker's back would be towards the body. As she tended his wound, he searched for visual clues. The man was older, at least fifty, likely over sixty, judging by the condition of his skin. Prominent wrinkles and liver spots, and a leathery look of someone that spent much of his life with a heavy tan. A distinctly aquiline nose and patrician features shouted 'man of money' even more so than his silk pajamas. Necessarily, Parker - more specifically her face - lay in Dave's line of sight as he looked about. Underneath the mien of professional concentration lay clear signs that removing the visual cue of the dead body was barely tamping down her anxiety. When she reached into the kit to find the scissors; so she could trim the excess off the bandage; her fingers first brought out the razor. The way she stared at it was unsettling. She paused to wipe away newly forming tears before finishing with Dave's gauze. As she neatly placed each piece of unused equipment in the kit, he gently took her chin in his right hand, turning her head to look directly at him. "Parker, you've had to make some tough choices here. You did the best you could with what you had. You're an ER nurse, right?" He recalled that tidbit from the detective's discussion. Parker nodded in affirmation. "Okay, so your training and experience is to do everything you can to get your patient that next heartbeat, to take the next breath, and another, and another. Just keep them going, and let someone else do the fancy work once you're sure the patient is alive right?" Her face contorted further as she nodded. "But I didn't. I didn't keep her alive. They took her outside ;” Parker's voice trailed off as she wept, her chest heaving. "An older blonde woman, probably in her mid-forties right?" She nodded, still weeping, not looking at him. "Her name is Natasha, and she's alive." Parker's head snapped up. Her eyes were wide in astonishment and hope. "But; how?" "I killed those men with a silenced pistol. She's hiding in my truck. Actually, I need to check on her. My partner had some spare clothes in there. Hopefully she found them." "Can I see her? Please? I just ;” The wild, desperate look in her eyes was impossible to deny. Dave gave his arm a few careful motions, testing out the pain level for various directions and ranges. It gave him an excuse to delay answering and drew her attention back to occupational concerns. "Yeah, we can do that. First, I need to touch base with my partner though." Gesturing he said, "Let's go." Parker quickly rose, snatching up the first aid kit. She deposited it back in its secure place in the kitchen before exiting, with Dave right behind her. She glanced over her shoulder several times to check that Dave was still with her as she walked around the building and straight towards Olivia. Over the last few steps, she veered off, giving Dave and Liv enough space to talk privately while she remained close by. Dave filled Livy in on what was happening. "Maybe you should escort her though, in case Natasha has not found your clothes. Besides, it would give you a chance to move about instead of standing here, getting cold." "Are you sure she saw me well enough to be comfortable when I approach? You, she got a good look at. And vice versa." Liv added a wink. Dave looked at her, his face flat and unimpressed. "Oh come on, David, you have nine women at home, came out here to dispense some justice on the assholes that attacked us, and picked up a groupie." "For crying out loud, Liv. She's not; Okay, fine, I'll escort the nurse. That woman's been through enough trauma without being exposed to your humor." Liv gave him an enigmatic smile as he walked away with Parker. Dave pointed to the gap in the trees he'd used for entry and exit previously. Once inside, the nurse stopped him. "David, I; I'm not sure if anything can be done for her." "What do you mean? "I mean, I; um, I'm not sure how much I can say. She needs something that I'm not sure is possible anymore." "You mean you couldn't extract any more semen from the dead guy's balls?" "How the hell did you know that?! That's confidential information! No one's supposed to know!" "Parker, these guys attacked my house. We killed three of them. The bodies were on my back deck and driveway with their balls cut off. Later, we get here and I see you jab the old guy in the balls with a syringe and the shot changes color. You're reassigning these women from the dead guy to the attackers using the dead man's cum, right?" She hung her head. "It was the only way to keep them alive." "And as long as they're alive, there's hope. There's a chance to fight another day, right?" She raised her head again, eyes watery, looking as if she really wanted to believe in the thin reed he offered her. "But, what about her? She's bound to that guy, and I couldn't get any more cum out. Depending on when she last slept with him, she's got a week or two before this stuff eats her up from the inside. It'll be like what they wanted to do to her, but in slow motion." Her voice cracked as she spoke. "Parker, I want you to consider something, and this is not a knock on you, but the conditions. You are an ER nurse, working under field conditions. If we take his body back to a hospital, or the vaccine center, do you think maybe a lab tech with precision equipment and ideal conditions could manage to eke out enough semen to let her switch partners?" She smiled again, taking a shaky breath. The suggestion relaxed her enough to acquiesce when he motioned her down the trail. "I don't know. I don't know, but it's worth a try. We have to move fast though. There's a time limit on how long we have to get it done." "Then we'll make sure when the Air Force gets here with their chopper, Natasha and the dead body are on the first bird out." Parker said no more as they walked. Dave only spoke to guide her on the path. When they got into visual range of the truck, Parker's steps took on an extra urgency, like she wanted to run, but held herself back. Dave signaled for her to fall in trail behind him and wait when they neared the truck. "Natasha? Natasha, it's David. I'm here with the nurse. The compound is secure now. The Air Force is on its way. We came to check on you. Did you find the clothes in the truck?" A blonde head slowly peeked over the dashboard, only one eye visible. That one eye held enough wariness for a dozen faces. The head scanned about carefully, never spending much time away from Dave and Parker. "All of the attackers are dead, Natasha. They can't hurt you." Her head cleared the dashboard and moved towards the passenger door, the same side Dave and Parker stood several feet away from. The door opened at a glacial pace. Then two legs clad in grey sweatpants stepped down. Natasha stepped clear of the door, wearing a thin white shirt, grey sweatpants that threatened to fall off, and a look of nervous hope and apprehension. Dave tried to ignore what the cold was doing to her nipples. Rigidly holding his eye contact on her face, he said, "Parker here is an ER nurse. How about letting her examine you? And then join the rest of the women. The ladies abducted with you are all; asleep, but there are women that were captured previously, like Parker here." Natasha glanced quickly at Parker. "They captured you too?" "Nearly two months ago. Our transport was hijacked after we'd already had our injections. We were on our way to our Oracle match partners when the attack happened." Natasha's wariness fell in the face of shared trauma; and the knowledge of traumas she'd been spared. She closed the distance and hugged Parker. The nurse initially stood shocked, unresponsive, her arms limp at her sides. Slowly, her hands rose, clasping onto Natasha's shoulder blades before she began shaking with sobs of relief. Reluctantly, Dave stepped in. When he spoke, he used the softest tone he was capable of. "Ladies, we need to get back. I'd rather not walk back into the clearing after the Air Force folks arrive, armed. That tends to make them nervous." He pitched his words softly, but firmly. Parker nodded in acknowledgement. The two shared a look that communicated; something. Then Dave noticed the older blonde still had nothing on her feet. "No socks in the bag?" he asked. Natasha shook her head no. Dave sighed, walked in front of her, turned his back to her and crouched. "Come on." He lowered his weapon to dangle from its sling. "What?" "Get on my back, I'll carry you." "Uh, are you sure about this? With your arm like it is?" Parker queried. "My back can carry the burden without straining my arm muscles." After a brief pause, he heard her moving hesitantly before her weight rested on his back. Her arms came around his neck. Then he hooked his hands under her knees and stood carefully. With Parker following behind, Dave navigated the path quickly. He maintained a slightly stooped posture that Carter had taught as the best way to carry a ruck. It worked quite well for carrying a person, too. The trio made good time through the woods and emerged from the tree line very deliberately, so as not to startle Liv, who was still on guard. The smile on the brunette's face when Dave emerged with Natasha on his back was unmistakable. Dave studiously ignored it. Once they were over soft grass, he lowered Natasha to the ground. He was uncomfortable sending these two to huddle with the rest of the women, but he wasn't sure what else to do. Until the moment he was ready to open his mouth. "Liv, take Parker and inspect the houses. Check on the women that got imprinted. Keep an eye out for kids or other adults. If it's just kids, reassure them the best you can. Keep them where they are if possible." Parker spoke up. "What if we bring; Natasha?; with us. I think my spare shoes would fit her. I can get her a jacket too." Dave looked at Liv, questioningly. She gave a short nod in response. Dave shrugged his agreement. After a long backwards look at Dave, Natasha followed the other two, leaving Dave on guard over the women huddled against the building. Most of them wore some manner of jacket and long pants. A few were in pajama pants and thick housecoats. All remained quiet, barely even talking amongst themselves. One brunette, a bit older, kept glancing at Dave. After several minutes, she rose and slowly approached him. As she got closer, Dave had a strange sense of recognition. Like he should know who she was, but couldn't place her. "Hi, um, I just wanted to say thank you. I've been stuck here for over a month. Several of us have, including the nurse that was with you earlier." Her dark eyes gleamed as she continued. "Listen, I know we'll need new partners soon. I think you should know that a few of the girls are already discussing the possibility of getting paired with you." Dave stiffened. His spine, not his cock. "Well, that's very flattering, but I didn't come here for that. Hell, I already have nine partners. My house is getting kinda full. I know the CDC guy that showed up a month and a half ago said I could wind up with twelve or more, but, uh, I could be just fine with stopping where I am. So, thank you, but no thank you. I mean, unless you specially match to me and don't have anyone else nearly as good a match." Her eyes widened. "Oh, no. No, I wasn't speaking personally. I mean, I appreciate what you've done, but not that far. The others just asked me to come over, sort of as a spokesperson. You know, use my fame in the hope that would help get your approval." It was the mild gravelly tone in her voice that finally did it. "Oh. Oh, shit. Aurora Hensley?" Dave shook his head. "Sorry, I knew I recognized you, but my brain just didn't place you until after you spoke for a bit. How the hell did a star like you wind up here?" Miss Henley tried to grin to cover up her grimace, but it didn't work. "Please, call me Rory. Lockdown stopped production on my show. You may have noticed we don't have a new season out." Dave nodded. "Yes, a few of my partners grumbled about it." "Ah, but not you, huh?" she said with a real grin this time. "Oh, I've watched some re-runs with them a few times. It's just that cop shows are only a fifty-fifty interest for me. Mostly, the ones I like get into the crime lab stuff, and yours didn't have that. No offense." Dave shrugged with the last statement. She examined him coyly. "Ah, so the fact that the two leads were women has nothing to do with it?" The words were accusatory, but something about her tone suggested she was playing with him. "Naw, not particularly. The story is well executed I think. It's just a type that only sometimes grabs my interest. I did appreciate that the show featured two female leads, without pounding the fact in the viewer's face. It stood on the writing and acting, and didn't beat some political drum." "Well, thank you. I think." She smirked at him. "Sorry for dodging, it's just; it hurts you know?" A shadow passed over her features, causing Dave to place a hand on her shoulder. He also forced himself to scan the group again, making sure no one was using his distraction to do something. He kicked himself for his obliviousness and made sure he kept his focus where it needed to be, without sacrificing the conversation. "Look, I know this is all still fresh, so if you don't want to talk about what these guys did to you here, you don't have to. I'm sure they'll have profess--" "Oh no, not that. I mean, I might, but honestly, you wiping them out is already a big help. That's why I came up to thank you." Then Rory grinned slyly again. "It's also why some of them want to thank you." "Well, with the vaccine, that's a rather permanent thing. They need to take some time to think it over first, and use the matching system, um, Oracle." "True, very true. You know, it's tempting to come at you like a rescued princess, just like the others. But in truth, I have a friend I was on my way to meet when our transport was hijacked. He's been a good friend for years, but we never dated or anything. He showed up as a reasonable match, so I was supposed to be with him. I'm going to call him as soon as I can to see if he's still interested." "More than likely, he'll be thrilled to hear you're alright." "Yes, probably. He's a good man. The girls like him." As soon as the words came out of her mouth, Rory grimaced like she'd been stabbed and the wielder was twisting the knife in her guts. Dave got a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I, uh, I have to go." She turned away briefly, then turned back. "No, wait." She took a few deep breaths before continuing. "The reason I came over in the first place." She paused for a hiccupping sob. "Um, look, I can never express how much I appreciate what you've done for me here. If you need anything. Anything at all. I know people. People in entertainment, and in politics. Just call me. I'd be glad to help." With tears in her eyes, she turned back towards the wall and walked swiftly, managing not to run. Rory's rushed return and obvious emotional turmoil was greeted by consternation among the small crowd of women. Two took the time to stare at him, worry clear on their faces. Quiet conversations started up and rapidly turned internal. The women clustered around Rory, wrapping her in hugs. When they finally parted, they began speaking again, in low tones, and long periods in which all were silent. It was quite some time before Liv, Parker, and Natasha came around the right side of the building. All appeared in good spirits. Natasha now sported a denim jacket over her white T-shirt and a pair of tennis shoes on her feet. As they approached, Dave noted that Natasha was no longer grabbing at the waist band of the sweatpants to keep them up, so some solution had been found. The jacket was of sufficient length to conceal whatever that had been. Likewise, it was likely she had socks to go with the shoes, but there was no visible gap between pants and shoes to confirm that deduction. The relaxed look on her face would have to do. Parker spoke first when they came within a reasonable speaking distance. "Sixteen women are in imprinting sleep in the houses. I checked their vitals, and nothing appears amiss. Except that they're all blondes." "I told the others while we were out, Drew, the man we were paired to, only had blondes in his; team." Natasha spoke slowly, not quite reluctantly. "It was a fetish of his. Though there was variety, of a sort. Cheerleader, businesswoman, that sort of thing. I was the 'older woman' blonde. One is a teenager, just barely survived to get injected. I; I knew him before this, or at least, I thought I knew him. We went to many of the same charity dinners and such. He was so cordial in public." Parker hugged Natasha around the shoulders, a supportive measure to remind her that problem was in her past. Then Olivia spoke. "A few houses had kids. They are awake and hungry. A little worried, but not frantic. I was thinking we could get a meal going in the main cafeteria instead of separate little meals in each house." "Sure," Dave replied. "That's a good plan. First, we'll need to get the body out of there." "Body?" Liv asked. "Drew, the man all those women are partnered to. These guys were re-imprinting the women to themselves in the cafeteria space." Dave kept his voice carefully neutral. "How the hell does that work?" "We're not supposed to know, but what I saw here and at our house, I made some good guesses that Parker confirmed. You and I are probably going to spend a lot of time explaining ourselves, so the less I share the better." Liv's nodding reply carried an undertone of expectation that, once all this blew over, Dave had better spill what he knows. A small traitorous part of Dave's heart took that as a possible indication that Liv wanted to know a way out of the bonding effects of the serum. Dave's brain was pretty convinced that was B S, though he would certainly ask if she wanted out later. The idea of keeping any woman bound to him against her will made him physically nauseous. Doing that to his Livy Bean was unacceptable in the extreme. "Tell you what," Dave continued, "You stay here for a few minutes. I'll haul the body out of the cafeteria and around to this side of the building. Then, Liv, supervise getting breakfast going in the cafeteria; and I mean supervise, you maintain control and security, someone else cooks. Parker, you can escort the kids from the houses to the cafeteria." Still facing the nurse, he asked, "Who would you recommend do the cooking?" "Sandy and Rory are pretty good. Together they should be able to handle breakfast for all the kids." "OK, sounds good. Wait 'til I get the body moved around to this area before you get moving." All three women nodded. Dave immediately stalked off, eager to get things in motion before the military arrived and brought everything to a halt while they took their time coming to the same conclusions Dave had already arrived at. The kids needed to be fed. He went around the right side of the building for once, since it provided the shortest route to his destination. As soon as he stepped inside, he was greeted by the older man's corpse lying flat on the floor, up against the wall, his silk pajama pants still pulled down to his knees. That was the first thing to fix. Doing his best to avoid touching the corpse (or another man's naked body), Dave took hold of the waistband near each knee and pulled them up and over the man's hips. That done, he stopped to consider the best way to get the body moved. Rigor. Rigor mortis had set in. None of the man' joints would move. And he'd been left on the floor, jammed into the corner between wall and floor for hours. There were two options Dave could see: grab and lift by the man's shoulders and drag him with his heels on the ground. A little awkward, but doable. The downside there was the chance his pajama pants cuffs could snag on something and come all the way off. Hell, even part way was undesirable. The second option was to get this guy onto Dave's shoulder like a two by four. A one hundred and fifty pound two by four. Sure, no problem. Mentally retracting all the curses he'd flung at Carter during upper body workouts, Dave went to work. First, he knelt beside the corpse. Then he lifted the torso so it lay on his shoulder. The next part was tricky. Silk didn't give a lot of traction to grab with. Neither did flesh. It took three tries that quickly returned to the floor-kneeling position when the body began to slip before Dave managed to successfully gain his feet on the fourth attempt, the body securely balanced on his left shoulder. And every single time he used his left arm for anything, a serenade of pain accompanied the act. He'd had experience getting through doorways with lumber or pipes on his shoulder, so while it was cumbersome, Dave managed the maneuver just fine. Though he had to use his left arm to operate the door. He couldn't avoid whimpering as he forced the injured limb to comply. Once outside, it was quite easy to make the brief trek around the building and dump the body in the grass a reasonable distance from the line of dead pointing towards the trees. He also picked up the staccato sounds of a chopper, low, and building quickly. Parker was halfway to the houses and Liv had disappeared into the cafeteria building with Rory and Sandy when their heads turned, picking up the sound. Figuring it was the safest course of action, Dave walked to the middle of the open space he'd fought in, away from others, his hands away from his body and his weapons slung on his back or holstered. He knew Olivia had the presence of mind to do the same. One Blackhawk landed to Dave's left, on the other side of the unused building. A second landed beyond the community building, presumably beyond the first house and to the left of the others. The third Blackhawk landed to Dave's right, well clear of the community building. The rotor blast was strong, but not overwhelming. The moisture in the air guaranteed no dust blown around, and the cold snap was too recent to kill off any grass, so at least there was no debris kicked up by the artificial cyclone. Troops began to disgorge from the chopper the moment the wheels touched grass, running straight out, hunched over, weapons in hand. Dave slowly turned to face them, his hands clearly away from his body. "You David Belsus?" The voice was pissed, loud, and behind him. Oops. Of course the team leader was on the first chopper that landed. Hadn't Carter harped something about leading from the front? "That's me." A short, strongly muscled man stepped around into Dave's field of view. "You blew my fucking op, dammit. Hunting these boys down was my job." "Considering the number of women enslaved to these fucking animals you clearly aren't doing your fucking job!" "Don't piss me off asshole. I'm willing to consider you're one of the good guys, for now. Fuck with me and I'll throw you in a hole so deep, you'll water the rice paddies in China when you pee." Dave wisely shut the fuck up. Carter had told him there were two very important times to know in the military; when to shut up, and when to shut the fuck up . This seemed like the latter. "You got the wanna bees at your house. A few real troops here. You got lucky, Boy Scout. Stand down and let us do our jobs." Before the short, powerfully built man turned away, Dave noted the nametape on the man's uniform; Barnett. The two chevrons upside down on the top of his rank insignia meant he was a Technical Sergeant; an E-6, a middle level NCO. "Sergeant Barnett?" Dave called to get his attention. The little bantam turned, one eyebrow cocked. "The kids in this place haven't been fed breakfast yet. My partner is inside the community building with a few women who've been stuck here for over a month. They're getting something cooked up while the nurse moves the kids. You think you can let that plan roll forward? Otherwise, you'll have some cranky kids to deal with soon. "Is she armed?" "My partner?" Dave got a nod in response. "Yes, she has a slung rifle and a holstered pistol. If you go in cautious, and announce yourself, there shouldn't be a problem. Or you can send me in ahead of you." "Sure, fine. Just know if you try anything stupid, my two partners behind you will drop you in a heartbeat." "I think we understand each other." Dave stepped off deliberately, at a steady pace, getting around the corner of the building with Sgt Barnett two arm's lengths to his right. He could hear the soft footsteps in the grass of two more people behind him. Barnett wasn't bluffing. Dave reached the door of the cafeteria space. He knocked twice, then slowly opened it. "Hey, Liv? It's me, I'm coming in. There's some Air Force folks with me. Keep your weapons holstered and your hands visible. These folks seem a mite twitchy." Olivia stood in the Archway between the dining side and the kitchen side. The sounds of pans and utensils and sizzling meat were quickly joined by the aroma of bacon. Dave's stomach grumbled. Two voices behind him tittered. Seems his guards and executioners heard him. They guffawed when Barnett's stomach responded. "Should we let you two get a plate boss?" The laughing voice behind Dave almost had a Tinkerbell fairy quality to it. Great. My erstwhile executioner leaves pixie dust in her wake. Liv kept quiet. Verbally that is. Her eyes were laughing though. Laughing loud enough to make up for the silence of her lips. "No, they're cooking for a bunch of hungry kids. Leave 'em alone." Barnett paused, looking between Liv and Dave, and sizing them up. "You two, one at a time, very carefully, place your weapons on that back counter. You're closer, young lady, so you go first." Liv sighed, staying stony faced. Dave widened his eyes and nodded his head, with a slight tilt towards the counter. With an exasperated exhale, she unslung her rifle, touching only the sling, and only with her thumb, laying it on the counter. In doing so, she now had her back to the archway leading to the kitchen. She deliberately used her left hand to remove her pistol. Liv then placed it beside the rifle. Her combat knife came next. Placing it with her firearms, she stepped away from the counter and faced the others. "Boot knife." Barnett said flatly. "Excuse me?" Liv asked blankly. "Remove the knife from your boot and place it on the table." Liv pursed her lips, rolled her eyes, and then complied. Tinkerbell tittered. "Step over there." Dave waved his arm towards the opposite corner from where Liv had been, along the wall separating the kitchen space and the dining space. Olivia moved as indicated, her eyes locked on the two behind Dave. "Okay, now you." Dave walked to the counter. He unslung his SMG, again, using only his thumb, and placed it beside Liv's rifle. With open, deliberate motions, his pistol quickly followed. "Don't make me say it again." "I don't have any knives. Never been any good with 'em." Liv snorted. "You shittin me? You came in here with no knife? Better a weapon you're only mediocre with than no weapon at all." Dave just shrugged. "You're doing a great job of convincing me you merely got lucky; twice; rather than win by skill and teamwork." Dave elected not to rise to barb. "Stand over there with your girlfriend." Dave turned and walked along the wall. He took the opportunity to look at the two guards. One was a wasp waisted, svelte brunette with her hair back in a bun. The other; fucking well looked like Tinkerbelle. Pale skin, silky blonde hair in a braid that wrapped around her head like a home-grown crown. Give her a pair of wings and no one would even blink if she claimed to be the fictional character. Well, Tinkerbelle never carried an M4 with a daylight scope. Sure as shit would have given that saucy wink though. Once Dave was beside Livy, Barnett spoke to the two of them. "You will both get a full debriefing at headquarters. For now, let's start with the disposition of the corpse of one Andrew Bilk. He was a very rich man, and someone wants an accounting of his death. Starting with where his body is." "Out in the grass. The goons in this camp had his body on the floor, up against the wall there" Dave pointed, "since we had kids coming in soon, I thought it best to get him out of here, so I carried him out into the grass near the other bodies. He's the one in the silk pajamas." "Silk pajamas? That should be easy to distinguish." "Oh, uh Sergeant Barnett? There is a time critical element here. The blonde lady we rescued first, Natasha, she was bound to the rich guy; Bilk you said? Anyway, she needs to be re-partnered. I don't know the exact timeline, but he died around or just after midnight. Problem is, the nurse around here couldn't get any more semen out of the rich guy's nuts, so her only shot is if a lab geek can eke out enough for her. She and the body need to get back to Dallas fast." "Right. Okay, Silvia?" The brunette focused on Barnett. "Yes, sergeant?" "Find this Natasha woman, get her and the silk clad corpse on a chopper and send them back now." "Yes, sergeant." She slipped out the door like vanishing smoke. "Also," Dave interjected, "in the houses are several women that the nurse, Parker, was forced to re-pair from the rich guy to one of these clowns. That was this morning, so they're all in imprinting sleep at the moment. The ones that imprinted later might be able to recognize which redneck imprinted which blonde." Barnett raised an eyebrow. "Apparently, the rich guy had a fixation with blondes." Tinkerbelle ran a hand down her side, giving her body a little wriggle as she did so. "Alright, I'll let lab techs and medicos sort that mess out. We've got a convoy of trucks enroute to haul these folks back to Dallas." As Barnett spoke, the sound of rotors could be heard. As the sound built, the door opened and five kids went straight to the nearest table. Parker followed in after them. "Oh, hey Dave. Listen, some Air Force woman pulled Natasha away. I think they just left on a chopper." Dave nodded. "Are you the nurse that used the Dead Man's Switch on these women?" Barnett asked. Parker stiffened. "Yes, I am. It was either that or let them die." "Relax, I'm not your judge or your jury. I'm just trying to establish a few facts and identities. Do you think you can remember which woman paired with which man?" "Not all of them, but some. The first was the one with the enormous" she suddenly remembered there were kids in the room, "uh, assets. The boss man took her for himself." "Okay, that's fine. Uh, Jessie, think you can find a notepad for ;” "Parker." "Parker here to write down what she remembers on the pairings this morning. The ones from before should be able to tell us themselves." The short blonde exited with haste. Parker checked in with the kids before approaching the sergeant. "Can I check in with the kitchen, to see when their breakfast is ready?" "No need," said Rory, passing through the arch with a plate in each hand, "breakfast is served." Sandy was right behind her, carrying three plates, one in her left hand, and two more up her left arm. The kids cheered. Sandy also had silverware in her right hand. She set that down first. Unburdened, Rory came across the room to Dave. "Listen, Parker mentioned being paired increases a man's metabolism. We made some extra. Would you like something?" "What if the kids want seconds?" "We made enough in case the older two ask for seconds, and still serve a couple of adults." "Like me and the sergeant here?" Rory grinned, "Correct. Why don't you two sit, and I'll bring out two more plates." "I appreciate that, Rory, but Liv hasn't eaten either. Neither has Parker, or you, or ;” "I know, I know, I've got five more servings in here. Sandy and I can make more shortly." "You don't ha--" "Hush. I want to." She leaned in close. "It helps keep my mind off other things." Immediately, Rory exited to the kitchen. Sandy followed after. As they passed through the arch, Jessie, the little blonde Air Force attack pixie came back bearing a portfolio containing a yellow legal pad and a pen. She handed that off to Parker and found herself an out of the way spot along the wall. Dave watched as Parker took a seat several spaces down from the children. After staring blankly at the page for almost a minute, she began writing at a steady pace. Absorbed in watching her, Dave was surprised when Sandy brought him a plate and silverware. Bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast. A perfectly worthy American breakfast. As he ate, Dave noted his companion / captor's face. The man's fair skin was as unpale as possible without adding descriptors like 'sun-kissed'. His jet-black hair strongly suggested an eastern or southern European heritage. That presumption was supported by the darkening along his jawline. Clearly a man that had to shave twice a day to remain within military regs. Unless of course, he went undercover, in which case he could grow a partial disguise in short order. Liv caught his eye as she returned from the kitchen. She took a seat next to Dave, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before digging into the scrambled eggs on the plate of food she'd carried in. She giggled at his pro forma protest when she stole a piece of bacon off his plate. Liv, on one side of Dave, missed the small grin on Barnett's face over the exchange. Her partner saw it though. Another enlisted woman came through the door carrying a sizable hardcase, the kind that usually has thick foam padding inside. She proceeded directly to the counter and swiftly stowed the weapons in the case. Then she carried the case back outside. "We're going to cycle the civilians through here for some breakfast before we entrain for Dallas," Barnett said. "When you're through here, meet me out on the lawn space where we started. Both of you." "You got it." Barnett took his plate and silverware through the kitchen archway. Shortly after, Dave heard the outer door to the kitchen open and close. Dave took a few more minutes to finish his meal. Liv spoke as he arranged his silverware on his plate. "Before you go, you should talk with Aurora. I think you two have something to share." Dave looked at her flatly. "She'd bonded, Liv." The young woman's smile broadened. "Not quite what I meant." Then she grew serious. "Just talk to her. Really, I think it could be good for both of you." She smirked when Dave walked away, fixing her with a wary eye. He found the sink, with a dishwasher beside it. Quickly, he rinsed his plate, placing it in the dishwasher. Rory and Sandy both objected, but he waved them off. Dave went ahead and rinsed the plate and silverware in the sink as well, along with a few cooking utensils. After drying his hands, he approached Rory. "Olivia said we should talk. She didn't say what about. Is this just her idea, or something you want to discuss?" Rory looked downward and swallowed. She looked back up. The haunted look in her eyes tugged at Dave's heart. Sandy noted their faces and suggested they step outside for a private conversation. Rory took his hand and led Dave out of the kitchen's heat and into the cool damp outside. Following her example, he leaned one shoulder against the wall, facing her. He waited for her to speak. "When we were surveying the houses; checking on the women and kids; Liv was asking me how I got here, what I dealt with getting here and being here. Honestly, she was just trying to make conversation. She didn't know what that would lead to." Dave waited again as Rory screwed up her resolve. Hopefully, his eyes were communicating support and patience. He could try speaking words of comfort or support, but the moment seemed too fragile to withstand him saying anything. "One of her questions was why didn't I try to escape after we were captured, before we were imprinted. Or why didn't we try signaling for help once we were stuck here. I can't speak for the others, but; I was not in a good place mentally when I was captured." She paused again, but not as long this time. Her shoulders came inward though, like she was trying to shrink; or hide. "Casey, the man I was supposed to partner with after getting my vaccine shot, is a good friend. He; spent time, when he could, talking to me by Zoom after; after ;” Rory shook with silent sobs. In Dave's heart, he knew what was coming next. The cold hand that gripped him, sapped the joy out of moments with his new family. His brain kept trying to reject the knowledge. Finally, she looked him directly in the eyes. Her composure shattered. "I had two daughters. They were both teenagers." As her tears poured out, Dave stepped in closer, wrapping his arms around her, his own visage twisted with the shared pain. He said nothing, merely held her for several minutes. When her shaking subsided, he waited a bit more. Finally, he took a deep breath and brought his mouth near her ear. With a shaky voice, he said, "My son's name was Eddie. He was twenty-three years old." Her arms around him tightened. Neither spoke. Several minutes later, Rory pulled her head back, an empathetic look on her face. She kissed Dave on the cheek and went back inside. Dave took a few minutes to collect himself. Feeling reasonably steady, he walked around the building. Liv and Barnett were there, waiting. "Okay, so here's what's happening. Most of these people are going back by truck. The convoy is nearly here. You two have a date with Air Force Intel, DPD, and possibly the FBI. You're going back in a chopper, now." Barnett paused, giving Dave a moment to process what he'd said. "Is that white pickup about three hundred meters back along the entry road yours?" "Yes." "Keys." "Excuse me?" "Gimme your keys. I'll have one of my people drive it with the convoy. We'll have it waiting for you when the intel boys and detectives decide to loosen the thumbscrews." Dave pulled his keys out and tossed them to the sergeant. "What about our weapons?" "They'll be in your vehicle." Dave nodded in acknowledgment. Jessie, the little pixie blonde, motioned for Dave and Liv to follow her. She led them to the nearby chopper and walked them through the seat harness mechanism. Two other Air Force personnel took seats on either side of the pair. Jessie returned to Barnett as the rotors began to move. Two minutes later, Dave watched the ground recede. Air Force personnel were scattered all over the compound. As of yet none of the kids had been in the big grassy area where the bodies lay. Just as the nose dipped and turned, Dave caught sight of military trucks edging down the dirt road into the camp. To be continued in part 12, Based on a post by RonanJWilkerson, in 12 parts, for Literotica.

Ben talks about how Sydney Sweeney has breasts that flop up and down and are heavy and round and white and they bounce quite extraordinarily due to their weight and shape and jiggling upward in her bra but sometimes there is no bra and her nipples are there. Also Jace the cinephiles reviews Marty Supreme at the Americana, Ben talks Michael Tracy, Prince Andrew, and Devan lays into a fat guy who eats biscuits and sweet tea... Happy new year! https://www.lemonparty.life/ https://hellofresh.com/lemon10fm bonus episodes ⁠https://www.patreon.com/lemonparty⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You're doing all the “right” things, but why does it still feel like you're performing your life instead of living it?Why does everything start to feel heavy the moment you think about how it'll look to other people?There's a quiet pressure to show up prepared, polished, and put-together...even when no one asked for that version of you. Maybe it shows up in your work, your routines, or the way you manage everyone else's expectations. Underneath it, there's this fear that if you stop trying so hard, you'll be exposed as “not enough.”In this episode you'll understand:Why over-preparing might actually be blocking your best work (and keeping you from feeling like yourself)The question that led to my biggest breakthrough: "What am I actually afraid will happen if I don't do this?"How "performance mode" shows up differently for everyone — and why it all comes back to the same thing: safetySmall, tangible ways to stop filtering yourself (starting with what you wear and how you speak)After listening, you'll be able to slow down and ask, “What do I actually want right now?” - and trust that answer. Not perfectly. Just honestly.Resources Mentioned:Free Calm Mind Blueprint: http://www.samanthapenkoff.com/calm-mind-podNewsletter: www.samanthapenkoff.com/promptsWork with me:90 min Breakthrough Intensives: You already know you should slow down, delegate more, stop overcommitting. So why can't you? That's what we figure out in 90 minutes. Plus integration call 2 weeks later. Book your BreakthroughExhale: Private Coaching - For women ready to do this work until it sticks and you can't revert back. 4 open spots: Work with meConnect with Sam: Instagram | Facebook

✨ Free Resource Mentioned: STARTING MESSY WORKBOOKAs the year wraps up, Misty gets honest about the work she's been doing behind the scenes for years—and what she's finally owning out loud in 2026.In this episode, Misty shares why so many hairstylists and salon owners think they have a money problem… when in reality, money is often just the symptom. Underneath it?Self-doubt. Overthinking. Fear of being seen. Fear of choosing the “wrong” path. And the exhaustion that comes from being the strong one everyone relies on.After years of coaching stylists through financial growth, confidence blocks, perfectionism, and identity shifts, Misty opens up about why she's stepping fully into life coaching—without hiding behind the money conversation anymore.

Send us a textA small industry feels big when the right people link arms. We close the year with honest wins, a few hard lessons, and a clear plan to help shed, metal building, and post-frame pros grow in 2026—without losing the heart that got us here. Together with our friends at Shed Geek, we map out an eight-episode pole barn series leading into NFBA, a slate of dealer spotlights, and a consumer-first video push that meets buyers where they scroll with fast, clear answers.We talk strategy that actually moves the needle: financing options that reduce friction at the lot, digital tools that generate qualified leads, and content that explains site prep, delivery, and build quality in plain language. If you're a dealer or installer, this is your heads-up to get involved. If you're a manufacturer or vendor, this is a chance to support education that lifts the entire category. And if you're a buyer doing research, expect short, practical videos that help you compare a prefab shed, a custom metal building, or a post-frame build with confidence.Underneath the tactics is what keeps us steady: friendship, faith, public service, and a shared belief that business works best when it serves people. You'll hear stories about showing up for community, saying thanks to mentors, and making space for missions work—proof that strong companies come from grounded lives. We're grateful for every download, handshake, and candid critique this year, and we want more of it.Want to be featured, ask a tough question, or shape the upcoming series? Reach out and tell us what would help you sell more, build better, or buy smarter. If this resonated, subscribe, share with a friend who needs encouragement, and leave a review so more builders and buyers can find us.For more information or to know more about the Shed Geek Podcast visit us at our website.Would you like to receive our weekly newsletter?  Sign up here.Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube at the handle @shedgeekpodcast.To be a guest on the Shed Geek Podcast visit our website and fill out the "Contact Us" form.To suggest show topics or ask questions you want answered email us at info@shedgeek.com.This episodes Sponsors:Studio Sponsor: J Money LLC

Underneath the starlit sky, surrounded by hay and animal filth, the Savior of the World and Hope of Heaven is born. The climax of creation and crescendo of the cosmos takes place in the most humble of contexts.Today's Bible verse is Isaiah 7:14, from the King James Version.Download the Pray.com app for more Christian content including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.Pray.com is the digital destination for faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Just when Carmina and Patch thought they've discovered everything they could about Filipino Christmas traditions, they come across Niños Inocentes. And as is true for every other present-day tradition, they found its indigenous roots and the Filipino penchant for simultaneous resistance and humor. Happy Holidays to FilTrip listeners!  Learn more: Beware Ninos Inocentes Day, What is the Feast of the Holy Innocents?, Spooky Christmas Culture, Yawa Yawa Mask of Terror, Pisting Yawa: The Devil who was once a Bisayan Deity, Underneath the Yawa-Yawa Mask, Feast of the Holy Innocents, Día de los Inocentes - Mexico's Answer to April Fools, Why ‘devils' take centerstage in Aklan villages during Christmas, and Historia de las islas e indios de Bisayas.  Visit https://filtrip.buzzsprout.com. Drop a note at thefiltrip@gmail.com. Thanks to FilTrip's sponsor SOLEPACK. Visit thesolepack.com for more details.See https://www.buzzsprout.com/privacy for Privacy Policy.

Happy Holidays! On RNIB Connect Radio we spoke with young Emmy Anstee to find out how she and her family make the festive period inclusive. Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB' written in bold black capital letters and underline with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio' is written in black in a smaller font.

A plant on the brink. Labor unrest, safety issues, shaky quality, and a community that had lost faith. Steve Matteson stepped into that storm with almost no runway and chose an unconventional starting point: listen deeply, walk the floor, and build a system people actually believe in. What followed is a rare, practical blueprint for turning a failing operation into a proud, profitable, and resilient culture.We dive into the first 48 hours—hour-long one-on-ones, a real gemba tour, and the surprising power of choosing leaders for connection rather than technical stardom. Steve Matteson explains how he ended “mandatory meetings,” made safety and quality everyone's job, and installed a weekly cross-functional cadence with clear inputs and outputs. You'll hear how accountability with dignity defused tension, why inviting injured teammates into root-cause problem solving changed behavior, and how a simple, employee-led newsletter amplified trust and momentum across a 1,000-person workforce.• starting a turnaround with gemba and one-on-ones• selecting leaders for connection over individual brilliance• weekly cadence, “no surprises,” and cross-functional glue• accountability with dignity and ending mandatory meetings• teaching safety and quality as everyone's job with PDSA• physical renewal, 5S, TPM, and visible standards• handling naysayers through open forums and union trust• bold process change with single-pass mixing and stabilization• documenting habits so culture endures beyond the leader• faith shaping mindset, humility, and serviceThis is a masterclass in sustainable change. We trace physical renewal and 5S as symbolic turning points, TPM to reduce downtime, and a bold shift to single-pass rubber mixing backed by meticulous stabilization and transparent communication. Steve Matteson shares how he documented a repeatable operating model in 31 concise chapters, built quarterly off-sites for senior leaders, and prepared the culture to thrive long after he moved on. Underneath it all is a candid look at mindset and faith—guarding the mind in crisis, choosing the next right step, and leading with humility and purpose.If you're trying to revive a team, unify a divided workforce, or make improvements stick, this story gives you the practical moves and the human touchpoints to get there. Subscribe, share this with a leader who needs it, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway so we can keep equipping uncommon leaders.Thanks for listening in to the Uncommon Leader Podcast. Please take just a minute to share this podcast with that someone you know that you thought of when you heard this episode. One of the most valuable things you can do is to rate the podcast and leave a review. You can do that on Apple podcasts, or rate the podcast on Spotify or any other platform you listen. Did you know that many of the things that I discuss on the Uncommon Leader Podcast are subjects that I coach other leaders and organizations ? If you would be interested in having me discuss 1:1 or group coaching with you, or know someone who is looking to move from Underperforming to Uncommon in their business or life, I would love to chat with you. Click this link to set up a FREE CALL to discuss how coaching might benefit you and your team) Until next time, Go and Grow Champions!!Connect with me

JJ talks about their year in chess that was and wasn't, which turns into a conversation with Julia about grief, loss, and self-knowledge. JJ references their essay on substack, which begins here: https://substack.com/home/post/p-180266870Buy our really good merchTell us you love us by following us on twitterShow us you love us by giving us some money

Episode 440 of Friends Talking Nerdy keeps the holiday theme rolling, but this time Professor Aubrey and Tim the Nerd unwrap one of the most emotionally complicated traditions of the season: gift giving. On the surface, it's boxes and bows. Underneath, it's psychology, social pressure, joy, guilt, and the low-grade panic of asking yourself, “Is this… enough?”Professor Aubrey and Tim the Nerd dig into the mental health side of giving gifts, starting with the dopamine hit that comes from nailing it. Few things feel better than watching someone light up because you got them. That moment of connection, thoughtfulness, and shared joy is powerful and genuinely good for the brain. Then comes the other side of the wrapping paper: the stress spiral. The pressure to find the “perfect gift,” the fear of disappointing someone, the comparison game, and the financial strain that sneaks in wearing a Santa hat.The conversation also takes a thoughtful turn toward people who don't celebrate holidays at all, particularly those whose religious beliefs mean they opt out of traditional holiday activities. Professor Aubrey and Tim The Nerd explore how things like Secret Santa at work or school—often framed as “just for fun”—can unintentionally alienate people who don't participate. They talk about inclusion, assumptions, and how well-meaning traditions can sometimes leave folks feeling awkward, excluded, or pressured to explain themselves.As always, the episode balances empathy with humor, reminding listeners that gift giving isn't really about stuff—it's about relationships, expectations, and navigating social norms without losing your mind. Whether you love shopping, hate shopping, or quietly wish everyone would just agree to exchange snacks and call it a day, this episode has something for you.The Songs of the Week bring big energy and big nostalgia: “Christmas in Hollis” by Run-D.M.C., because holiday hip-hop is undefeated, and “The Rockafeller Skank” by Fatboy Slim, a reminder that sometimes the best gift is a beat that makes you forget your to-do list.As always, we wish to thank Christopher Lazarek for his wonderful theme song. Head to his ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for information on how to purchase his EP, Here's To You, which is available on all digital platforms.Head to Friends Talking Nerdy's⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠for more information on where to find us online.

Send us a textKen from the Sounds of Christmas talks to singer/songwriter Dionya Marie about her single "Missing You Underneath The Mistletoe", working with Snoop Dogg & Amy Grant, a new Christmas album and so much more!Check out "Missing You Underneath The Mistletoe"Dionya's websiteConnect with DionyaShow links:Listen to the Sounds of Christmas stationFind the Sounds of Christmas podcastCheck out the new Sounds of Christmas ShopConnect with the Sounds of Christmas on social mediaCheck out all the artists that are making the 2025 season of the Sounds of Christmas station possibleSupport the show

Join Jonathan Abro on his bus trip around the Balkans. The first stop is the capital of Albania, Tirana. Liaten to Jonathan's Travelogues every Wednesday on The Lunch Break from 12 noon to 1 pm. Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB' written in bold black capital letters and underline with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio' is written in black in a smaller font. 

Trêve des confiseurs, festivités de la Nativité, Baby Djésus et paix sur la terre, y compris aux Hommes de mauvaise volonté. Selekta soyeuse et de qualité, par El Comandante.Nos précédentes mixtakes Xmas, toujours dispo :Vol. 1 / Vol. 2 / Vol. 3 / Vol. 4 / Vol. 5 / Vol. 6 / Vol. 7 / Vol.8Prégénérique - Extrait Scary Movie 2 (Wayans Bros)Extrait - Full Metal Jacket (Stanley Kubrick)Les Wampas - Ce soir c'est NoëlRené Binamé - Un Noël gayThe Business - Bollocks To ChristmasDeutsche Trinkerjugend - Knecht Ruprecht frohe WeinhnachtszeitBoney M - Mary's Boy Child Oh My LordClaudia Mori - Natale 70Bob Dylan - Silver BellsElton John - Ho! Ho! Ho! (Whod Be A Turkey At Christmas)Kermitt & Robin - Christmas Scat (Muppet Christmas Carol OST - Brian Henson)Calexico feat. Gaby Moreno - Mi Burrito SabaneroLou Monte - Dominick the Donkey (The Italian Christmas Donkey)Brenda Lee - Noche Buena Y NavidadGeorge Thorogood & The Destroyers - Rock And Roll ChristmasJudge Dread - Jingle BellsBad Manners - Christmas Time AgainMud - Lonely This ChristmasThe So So Glos feat. Spider Stacy - This Could Be ChristmasFabrizio De André - Leggenda di NataleJohn Edmond - Trooper ThomasThe 4 Skins - Merry Christmas EverybodyExtrait - A toute allure (Lucas Bernard)DEVO - Merry Something To You______PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Le Film du Dimanche Soir, dimanche 11 janvier, on va vous raconter des histoires de fantômes chinois !______

President Trump continues to leave his mark on the White House, including a controversial new installment along his Walk of Fame. Underneath portraits of former presidents, Trump has installed permanent plaques describing each President’s legacy, according to HIM, and written by HIM. Amy and T.J. read the plaques aloud and weigh in on why we, as a nation, aren’t reacting to their absurdity, and are instead, taking them seriously. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Trump continues to leave his mark on the White House, including a controversial new installment along his Walk of Fame. Underneath portraits of former presidents, Trump has installed permanent plaques describing each President’s legacy, according to HIM, and written by HIM. Amy and T.J. read the plaques aloud and weigh in on why we, as a nation, aren’t reacting to their absurdity, and are instead, taking them seriously. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Trump continues to leave his mark on the White House, including a controversial new installment along his Walk of Fame. Underneath portraits of former presidents, Trump has installed permanent plaques describing each President’s legacy, according to HIM, and written by HIM. Amy and T.J. read the plaques aloud and weigh in on why we, as a nation, aren’t reacting to their absurdity, and are instead, taking them seriously. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Trump continues to leave his mark on the White House, including a controversial new installment along his Walk of Fame. Underneath portraits of former presidents, Trump has installed permanent plaques describing each President’s legacy, according to HIM, and written by HIM. Amy and T.J. read the plaques aloud and weigh in on why we, as a nation, aren’t reacting to their absurdity, and are instead, taking them seriously. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

EP:171 This solo episode has been a long time coming. I'm finally sitting down to walk you through what the last few months have really looked like behind the scenes — the baseball fields, the retreats, the business highs, the gut punches, and turning 40 in the most unexpectedly beautiful way. I take you with me through: Motherhood in the thick of it – Eli's select baseball, Charlie's umpiring journey, and what it's been like to finally feel joy and “magic” again after years of grief. Big work seasons and leadership retreats – the conversations that lit my brain on fire, falling in love (again) with the business side of what I do, and why connecting with other women fills my cup. Mother Collective & Smarty Pants events – the deep, honest talks with women who are quietly suffering in their relationships, being called “crazy,” gaslit, and doubting their own reality. I share how that mirrors my past, and why self-worth and nervous system regulation are non‑negotiables. Trust, family, and my 40th birthday – the painful “no” from my family, the overwhelming surprise Carter planned with my best friends at Miraval, and what it brought up about being loved, chosen, and celebrated. Underneath all of it is this: learning to trust yourself, protect your peace, regulate your nervous system, and refuse to be spoken to or treated in ways that don't feel safe or respectful. If this episode hits home, please: Share it with a friend who needs to hear they are not crazy and not alone.. Hit follow and leave a review so more parents can find this work. Screenshot and tag the show so I can see what resonated most and keep creating what you need. #motherhood #momlife #parenting #selfworth #nervoussystemregulation #mentalhealth #healing #griefjourney #toxicrelationships #gaslighting #marriage #relationshipadvice #baseballmom #anxiety #burnoutrecovery #boundaries #hashimotos #personaldevelopment #podcast

This week on Real Food Stories, Heather breaks down the wild world of midlife nutrition in 2025 — from microdosing GLP-1s, oral semaglutide, and high-protein everything to cottage-cheese coffee, weighted vests, and the fiber frenzy. If nutrition felt chaotic this year, you're not imagining it.We revisit my most downloaded episodes on HRT confusion and upgrading your midlife kitchen, and she shares her own experience navigating hormone therapy around surgery — a perfect example of why women remain overwhelmed by inconsistent guidance.Underneath all the noise, one message stood out: women need clarity, strength, real food, and community.I close the episode with an invitation to join The Well Nourished Woman, her supportive space for women 40+ who want evidence-based guidance without the overwhelm.I would love to hear from you! What did you think of the episode? Share it with me :) Support the showLet's Be FriendsHang out with Heather on IG @greenpalettekitchen or on FB HERE.Let's Talk!Whether you are looking for 1-1 nutrition coaching or kitchen coaching let's have a chat. Click HERE to reach out to Heather.Did You Love This Episode? "I love Heather and the Real Food Stories Podcast!" If this is you, please do not hesitate to leave a five-star review on Apple or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Henshaws are running a 12 Days Of Giving Appeal to support for the Artmakers at the Henshaws Arts & Crafts Centre in Knaresborough. The sessions support visually impaired and disabled adults to express themselves creatively. Amelia learned more from Senior Philanthropy Manager Flora Simpson... Learn more on their website - Craft Activities for Visually Impaired and Disabled Adults - Henshaws Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB' written in bold black capital letters and underline with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio' is written in black in a smaller font. 

The line between “normal sore” and “season-ender” can be thinner than a springboard. We've been seeing a spike in shin pain as athletes ramp into meet season, so we dug into what actually separates routine aches from stress reactions and fractures—and how to act before things break. You'll hear the red flags we never ignore, why focal anterior tibia pain is different from posteromedial soreness, and the simple rule of threes that helps coaches and athletes make better calls on the floor.We share the four-stage path we use in the clinic—relative rest, strength, plyos, and sport return—and why early action shrinks each phase. One surprising insight: bone is most responsive to the first 20 to 60 impacts, especially in the morning, which means a short dose of depth drops and pogo hops can outpace long, junk-mile sessions. Add in heavy calf work, single-leg plyos, and targeted landing mechanics, and you get a plan that builds resilience without burning the fuse. We also talk realistic event modifications, smart rep caps for vault and floor, and checkpoints for progressing from rod to floor and from soft board to springboard.Underneath the protocols are the big levers: workload honesty, technical efficiency, and adequate fuel. Many athletes aren't weak; they're over-spiked, under-fueled, and landing hard. Tidy up shapes, let the equipment return energy, and loop in sports nutrition when progress stalls. If your goal is college gymnastics or simply a healthy, complete season, the bravest move is often stepping back for two weeks to save the next twelve. Listen to learn the exact tests, numbers, and conversations that help athletes stay on track and out of boots. If this episode helps, subscribe, share it with a coach or teammate, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. We appreciate you listening! To learn more about SHIFT, head here - https://shiftmovementscience.com/To learn about SHIFT's courses, check our website here - https://courses.shiftmovementscience.com/Also, please consider rating, reviewing, and sharing the podcast with your friends! Thanks :)Thanks for listening to The SHIFT Show! Check out SHIFT's most popular courses here! https://courses.shiftmovementscience.com/Want to join our online educational community of over 1000 gymnastics professionals and get 40+ hours of gymnastics lectures? Join The Hero Lab below!https://shiftmovementscience.com/theherolab/ Check out all our past podcast episodes here!https://shiftmovementscience.com/podcast/

1. In his sermon today, Tim repeatedly returned to the phrase “calamity has two faces.” He went on to describe one face that's characterized by neighboring, open hearts, bravery in saving others, and a deep sense of belonging to one another. The other face is characterized by closed hearts, fear rising, darkness, and cruelty.Have you been in calamitous situations in which others have taken on faces of either open heartedness or close hearted fear? How did those “faces” show up? How did they impact others in the situation and/or the situation itself?Which face comes more naturally to you in the face of adversity, calamity, or distress? Are there factors in the circumstances that change what your answer might be? What kind of situations have shown you your own tendencies in this type of context?2. Discussing Isaiah 34 and 35, Tim talked about the prophetic voice when it comes to scary and uncertain times. He talked about the first move for the prophetic voice being the act of truth telling, but also talked about a second move. He said “sometimes going against the grain means speaking a word of hope in the midst of calamity.”Which prophetic move, if either, feels more natural to you? Do you see yourself as a prophetic voice or do you see yourself as having the ability to become one? How comfortable are you speaking truth in moments on which it may be unpalatable or unwelcome? How comfortable are you speaking words of hope when hope may be unfashionable or difficult to embrace? If you can think of an experience during which someone else's prophetic word of hope impacted you, share about it with the group.3. Tim put up a slide that said “our task in this last phase of Advent is to reach out to God, each other, to reach deep inside ourselves and find a place of hope.”What does that look like? How do we do it? How could we cultivate that with and for each other?How much resistance do you feel to that idea or that intention? Why?Underneath that intention lies the statement Tim returned to again and again: “Calamity has two faces…and we do have a choice.” Do you really believe that statement? Both parts of it? Share about why you feel the way you do about this statement and what it means for you.Tim talked about finding that place of hope, and then sharing it with someone else. Do you feel capable of doing that? If it feels difficult, do you feel willing to try? Who in your orbit and life could you share hope with this season? Who needs it? What might that look like in a practical or concrete way? What could you make a plan to actually do to carry the prophetic hope of Advent into the world around you?

A beach, a phone on 0.5 zoom, and a comedian trying to outrun a stubborn year—this one starts fast and refuses to walk it back. We kick things off with a flurry of winter tour dates and then throw ourselves into the Gulf-side chaos: strangers staring, cargo ships hulking on the horizon, and the mind game of recording while the world pretends not to notice. It's messy, it's loud, and it's honest about what touring feels like when the budget is thin and the calendar is full.We dig into concert joy and the sacred act of screaming a deep cut louder than the crowd, the survival math of road food versus body pain, and why 2025 feels like a restaurant that won't bring the check. Resolutions get stripped down to something real: stay alive, keep moving, and stop pretending reinvention happens overnight. Along the way, we torch Elf on the Shelf as a goofy surveillance state, poke at autoplay platforms that push you into shows you didn't pick, and question pop-culture darlings without pretending we're above the fray. The sciatica saga becomes a running gag and a real lesson: sustainability beats bravado when your job is laughing for strangers.Underneath the jokes, there's a clear heartbeat: comedy is lonely, then suddenly communal; it hurts, then it heals; it's the quick, silly ritual that lets the heavy stuff breathe. If you need a release valve for a year that overstayed, pull up a chair on the seawall and ride the noise with us.Subscribe, share with a friend who needs a laugh, and leave a review to help others find the show. What are you ditching before 2026 hits?Support the showhttps://www.patreon.com/c/DiscombobulatedwithBobbyJaycox

Blizzard Revelations. Two best friends, stranded in a car, find fun ways to keep warm. Based on a post by LindseyLuv. Listen to the Podcast at My First Time. "Hey, Lindsey; you all set?" A tall, shaggy-haired fella came up from the basement guest bedroom, then strode the hallway, and called up the staircase to her 2nd story bedroom, from near the front door. Lindsey felt her stomach flutter once again. Jackson was actually back from college. In his hand, he carried a suitcase of his own, and a laptop bag slung over his shoulder. He smiled at her as she came down the big oak stairs, and she nodded. "Yep, Jack; just gotta grab my rucksack and lock up, and we're good to go!" She couldn't remember when the two of them had first met. Their parents had been close friends for years, before they'd even been born. So far as she cared, she'd known Jackson forever. They'd grown up together, referred to each other as cousins. The pair had been almost inseparable, all the way up to Jackson leaving for college. Worst yet, his parents had to move; when the corporation shut down the local factory, and his dad had to move in order to fill another management position, or face unemployment at age 51. Lindsey’s anxieties were mounting, until yesterday, when his flight arrived. She'd been absolutely heartbroken last August. to see him go. But he kept his promise, that he'd visit as soon as he came back for the holidays. Which sadly coincided with her own family’s reunion. Her parents insisted that she come with them, but she negotiated a compromise. Jackson would use her car to drive her, on his way to his own relative’s gathering. It just so happened the day he flew back was the day before her Great Aunt's get-together, so while her parents left yesterday morning, she hung around to pick him up at the airport. The plan was for him to stay over that night, then drive the two of them, to drop her at the reunion, seeing as it wasn't too far from his cousins' place. That way, he could drive to his kin, and see them too. Then two days later he’d pick Lindsey up from the reunion, and drive her back a few days later, if she didn't want to stay the whole week, like her folks. She'd nearly tackled him near the baggage claim, when she saw him run down the airport concourse. The pair had spent the evening laughing, eating, and reminiscing. Jackson had plenty of stories to tell her about his first semester at college, and Lindsey eagerly hung on his every word. When he’d finally gone down to the basement guest bedroom, it was well past midnight. She’d already fallen asleep while the two were watching an old favorite DVD title. He’s woke her up and directed her to go up and get some sleep. By the time they were up and about, the next day; they realized there was no way they were going to make it on time. It was getting on for noon when the snow started to fall; lightly covering the driveway as Lindsey dragged her suitcase out to Jackson's car. She knew they were only going away for a week, but she wanted to be prepared, especially with the weather as it was, so she'd filled her bags with as many jumpers, woolly hats, and thick comfy socks as she could. A decision she was starting to regret as she struggled to heave the bulging suitcase into the trunk of her little car. Finally cramming it into the space, she stepped back, taking a moment to breathe. All around her, the snow fell lazily through the air, getting heavier by the minute, and she wondered if it would ease off much, before the two of them left for her great aunt's. 'Oh well, at least it'll be a white Christmas...' she thought to herself, before turning back towards the open door of her house. She loved almost everything about Christmas, but the annual family reunion certainly wasn't on the list. She could count on one hand, how many of her relatives she actually liked, and even then she had plenty of fingers spare. In fact, the only person she really cared about visiting, had just been her house guest. But that visit was nearly over. Only the car ride remained. “Start the car, Jack." "Cool-cool, but hurry up, I don't like the look of this snow. We might end up stranded in a blizzard, if we're not careful; and you'll miss your fam." Jackson shot her a wink. "And I know how much you'd hate that." Giggling at his sarcasm, Linsey ran back into her house. She'd left her rucksack just inside the door, and she quickly grabbed it before locking up and running back down to the car. The snowfall had gotten pretty heavy by now, and she saw Jackson chuck his stuff onto the back seat before getting into the driver's side door, and revving the engine. Burying her face in her scarf to keep warm, Lindsey threw her rucksack in the back as well, before climbing into the passenger side seat next to him. Clicking her seatbelt into place, she turned and gave him a nod, and off the two went. Relaxing back into her seat, Lindsey watched the snowflakes fall as Jackson gently took the car out of the driveway and onto the almost pure white road. Rubbing her hands together in the frigid air, she reached out and cracked up the thermostat a little, before settling back again. It wasn't a particularly long drive, only a few hours, but she could already tell it was going to be a chilly one. The snow wasn't too much of a problem while they drove through the city, salt trucks leaving the roads mostly clear. As they got out into the countryside, Jackson started to take it slower, carefully navigating the narrow lanes as the snow continued to fall. Once or twice they saw the skid marks of cars that hadn't been quite as cautious, and at one point a tow truck passed them, pulling the unfortunate survivor of a nasty off-road skid. The first hour passed quickly. The thermostat did its job, and the car quickly armed up enough for Lindsey to drop her scarf and gloves. The two friends chattered away happily as the miles passed, and the music from the radio helped fill any lulls. However, as the sun began to set, the snowfall only got heavier and heavier. Lindsey could feel herself getting increasingly nervous, finding it harder and harder to see the passing countryside, and could only imagine how hard it must be for Jackson at the wheel. "Damn it;" the young man muttered under his breath, craning forward to peer out between the falling snowflakes. Lindsey could feel the stress radiating off of him, and did her best to stay calm. The last thing she wanted to do is panic him any more than he already was. Pretty soon though, they both realized they were going to have to stop. The snow was falling so heavily now that neither of them could see the road, let alone anything else. Lindsey felt her stomach drop as Jackson shook his head, pulling the car up onto the verge at the side of the road. "Sorry Linds, I can't keep going in this. If we're lucky it'll blow over soon, and we can get going again, but for the meantime, it's just not safe;" Lindsey looked up at him and saw the look of concern on his face. "You might wanna call your folks." Lindsey gave him a worries nod. She could feel her stomach tying itself up in knots as she pulled out her cell phone. They were a long way from anywhere, out there, and if they got stuck overnight it was going to get very, very cold. Dialing her parents, she anxiously waited for them to pick up. "Hey, Dad, it's me. Um, yeah, me and Jackson are on our way, but the snow is; it's coming down pretty hard, so we're just going to pull over for a bit. No need to worry about us, it's all good. We're just going to be a bit later than we thought, that's all. I'll call you when we start moving again. Yep, yep, we'll be safe, don't worry. I love you too. See you soon" The young woman hung up, hoping she didn't sound too scared on the phone. "Ok, what do we do now?" Jackson frowned as he looked down at the fuel indicator. It was getting a little low. "Well, I think we should turn the car off for now, so we don't waste gas until we can start moving again. I don't wanna think about what'd happen if we; you know. Other than that, we just gotta wait it out I guess." Shutting off the engine, Jackson settled back into his seat as snow began to pile onto the windshield. Immediately, the car began to get colder, and Lindsey shivered as she bundled herself up in her coat. Outside, she could hear the wind howling, and she looked over to her friend, hoping for comfort, but only saw herself faced with a worried expression. "It'll be fine, don't worry. We just; gotta wait. For a bit" His voice sounded shaky as he tried to reassure her. Surprisingly, it worked pretty well. For the next few hours, the two sat and talked to try and keep their minds off the weather. Occasionally, Jackson would flick on the wipers to clear the snow on the windscreen so they could check the state of the weather, but it never improved. If anything, it was still getting worse. An hour passed, then two, and it started to dawn on the pair that things probably weren't going to improve that evening. "Maybe; maybe we should settle in for the night;" Lindsey's voice trembled as she spoke, partly from the cold and partly out of fear. "I'm gonna call my dad again;" Jackson nodded, his hands inside his sleeves as she fished her phone out again. "Uh, hey Dad? It's me again. The, um, the snow's not easing off, so we're going too; yeah, yeah I know; We're going to stay here for the night, ok? And we'll drive the rest of the way tomorrow? Ok? Don't worry, we've got loads of clothes and blankets and things, we'll be fine. Yeah, yeah we'll be careful. I know. I love you too. Bye." Lindsey hung up and turned to her friend. "He's not happy, but he knows there's nothing we can do." She let out a long sigh, looking at the floor. "Sorry." "Hey, it's ok, don't; don't worry, you don't need to apologize." Looking back up through the tears, she saw Jackson smiling at her, and felt his hand on her shoulder. Despite the freezing weather, Lindsey felt a little shimmer of warmth move through her at his touch. "You can't help the weather, can you? And it's cool, at least I'm not stuck out here alone." Lindsey chuckled as she fought back her tears. She wiped her eyes and looked back over her shoulder at the back seat. "What are we going to do about sleeping?" Despite their heavy clothes, she could feel herself starting to shiver. Jackson looked thoughtful for a second, before replying. "I guess we'll have to share the back seat; It'll be cramped, but we don't have much choice. The seats up here don't really recline at all." Lindsey nodded her head. It wouldn't be the first time the two of them had slept so close together, but she had to admit, this was a bit different. After all, they'd been kids last time. Ah well, better to be warm than worry about nothing, she thought to herself. "Do we have blankets or anything?" Again, Jackson looked thoughtful. "We could get our clothes out of the trunk? We can pile them on top of us to keep warm." He gave her a nervous smile. "Not quite blankets, but I'm sure they'll do the job." Lindsey felt a little knot in her stomach but ignored it. She had to admit, it was a good idea, but something about Jackson seeing all her clothes spread out made her feel nervous. It took her a moment to realize why, but by the time she had he'd already disappeared out of the car, hurrying towards the trunk to retrieve their suitcases. Ignoring it, she climbed into the back seat, settling across them as she heard Jackson rifling through their belongings in the freezing wind. As soon as she found herself in the back of the car, the young woman realized a slight problem with the plan. The seats weren't very wide, and unless they wanted to sleep upright or in the foot well, the two friends would have to sleep pretty much on top of each other. She swallowed hard. This situation just kept getting weirder and weirder. Just as she opened her mouth to say something, the door to her left flew open, and a deluge of clothing poured across her. Caught off guard, the young woman yelped in surprise, eliciting a quick apology from her friend, stood in the doorway holding an empty suitcase. "Sorry, sorry, should've warned you!" Lindsey's yelp of surprise quickly turned to giggles of laughter. "Don't worry, just hurry up and get back inside before you freeze to death!" With a smile, Jackson nodded, throwing the suitcase back into the trunk before reaching down and grabbing a second. Hers. Lindsey felt the butterflies in her stomach again as he quickly unzipped it and emptied the contents over her again. She watched as her neatly folded laundry cascaded out of the bag, t-shirts and spare jeans tumbling into the foot well, along with, much to her dismay, all her underwear. Jackson didn't seem to notice, shaking the snow from his boots and quickly jumping in next to her. As he closed the door, shivering, she quickly grabbed a large fleece and threw it towards him. "Here, warm up a bit". Her friend smiled in appreciation, pulling the woolen jumper over himself. Lindsey looked around at the clothing carnage. She bit her lip. There was no way he wasn't going to see it all; pairs of silk panties and lace bras dotted the backseat, making her lingerie impossible to miss. Turning to her friend, she could feel her cheeks burning pink. "Uh, Jackson, do me a favor, could you just; ignore; the underwear?" Turning to look back at her, the young man looked confused, before his eyes scanned the seats and his own cheeks started to turn red. "Oh, uh; sorry, I; I didn't;" Lindsey couldn't help but chuckle. The flustered look on his face was adorable, and in that moment she couldn't think of anything but a lost puppy. She squeezed his arm under the layer of loose clothes. "Don't worry, you couldn't help it. It's my fault for packing everything into one suitcase!" The pair laughed nervously, before settling into silence. A few moments passed before Jackson piped up again. "So, uh, how're we; Ya know. Doing this?" The pair looked at the space between them. They both knew they couldn't fit next to each other, but neither person wanted to be the first to say it. Finally, Lindsey bit the bullet. "Do you wanna be on top or underneath?" She saw Jackson swallow heavily. "Uh, I'll go underneath, I guess? Don't want to crush you, after all." The young man chuckled, trying to defuse the awkwardness of the situation in the way he always did. Lindsey chuckled too. She had to admit, she hoped that would be the arrangement. After all, she was a lot smaller than he was. Shuffling towards the door to let him get comfortable, she replied: "After you then!" Taking off his boots, Jackson slid down onto the seats, piling the loose clothes up and over himself. Lindsey watched intently, trying to calm her racing heartbeat. Why was she so nervous? It wasn't like they were doing anything weird. Well, weirder than being stuck in the snow. It was Jackson, she'd known him forever! Shaking her head, she gave him a smile, before settling down too. Instinctively, his hands came up to meet her, guiding her down on top of him. Immediately, she felt the warmth of his body through their clothes, and she found herself nestling into her friend as they awkwardly tried to avoid eye contact. The young woman could hear her heartbeat in her ears, the red flush of embarrassment getting stronger by the second. Reaching around them, the two started pulling the clothes across themselves, tucking them into the gaps on either side to insulate them from the cold. Carefully, Lindsey did her best to push aside anything she'd rather he didn't see into the foot well, some of the more risqué items catching Jackson's eye before he pointedly looked away, cheeks red. Pretty soon, the two were almost completely covered, only their faces poking out of the mountain of fabric. Doing their best to ignore the awkwardness of the situation, the two settled down. Lying on her front, Lindsey could feel her chest pressed close to Jackson, her tits squished close to his beating heart, and no matter where she looked, their faces were so close she always felt like she was staring directly at him. Eventually, she piped up. "Should I, uh, should I roll over, onto my back? Or, is this ok? What's; what works for you?" She tried not to think too hard about his answer. "I'm happy like this, if you are. Or not. Whatever" Her cheeks felt like they could burst into flames at any moment. "I, uh,; I think this is fine" From underneath her, Jackson's voice rose, shaky with nerves, and she wondered if he was feeling just as out of sorts as she was. With a nod, she turned away, resting her head on his chest. Despite settling in to sleep, the young woman's mind was racing. What were they doing? This was crazy, what if someone saw them together? Bundled up like this, at the side of the road, under the clothes? What would they think? She swallowed. She knew exactly what they'd think. And with a start she realized that excited her. A long, awkward silence hung in the air. Lindsey did her best to ignore her racing thoughts and settle down to sleep. Despite the mountain of clothes, she found herself still shivering, and nuzzled deeper into Jackson for warmth. After a while, she glanced up to see snow covering the windows, cutting the pair of them off from the rest of the world. It was just her now. Her and Jackson. She felt a tingle ran down her spine. Well at least we don't have to worry about anyone looking in and getting the wrong idea, she thought to herself. Settling in, her mind started to wander. Trying not to think about Jackson, she found herself pondering the situation they found themselves in. What would happen if the sow hadn't cleared by the next morning? Would they need to call for help? What if it got even colder? A sudden memory passed through her head, of an old TV documentary about arctic explorers. She remembered that often, when trapped in cold climates, people would strip off and share body heat to keep themselves warm. Immediately, she felt her blush returning. Behind her, she felt Jackson's hands move lower down her back, to just above her ass, and she froze. A voice in the darkness, breathless, whispered. Uh, is this ok? My, uh, my arms were getting a little cramped;" Lindsey felt her breath catch in her throat. "Y-yeah, it's fine, don't worry." Instinctively, she shuffled her weight a bit, making it more comfortable for both of them. The two lay in silence for a bit longer, before Lindsey felt her own arms beginning to cramp, her hands on the seat taking most of her weight to keep it off Jackson. Readjusting, she let her body fall, and found her hands around his shoulders, holding him close. "Is that ok too?" She felt him nod underneath her and felt a sigh of relief escaped her lips. His soft voice filled the quiet again. "Sure. Don't worry about squishing me, you're; you're pretty light, you know;" The two chuckled and fell into silence again. Lindsey felt conflicted. She couldn't help but notice how firm his shoulders were, how warm and strong his arms around her felt. Soon, she found her mind wandering again, and quickly diverted her attention elsewhere. No, this was Jackson she was thinking about! She could never; could she? From under her, she felt Jackson shift, awkwardly, nervously, before speaking again. "Uh, hey Lindsey, are you; are you still cold?" Lindsey felt her heart beating like mad in her chest. "Y-yeah, a little. Actually." She thought about the arctic explorers again and bit her tongue. No, how could she even be thinking about that? But, if it kept them warmer; She didn't know what to do. On the one hand, she desperately wanted the warmth, on the other; "You know, um, one of the, I heard on tv once that, when people get stuck in the arctic they, uh; well;" Lindsey trailed off. Holy shit, what am I saying? Under her, she felt her best friend brace himself, unsure where she was going with this, and she bit her tongue again. Can't go back now... "Body heat gets kinda; you know; trapped by the, uh; by clothes; So they, uh; yeah" She couldn't bring herself to say it, the words kept getting caught in her mouth. A long pause sat frozen in the air. "So; should we?" "Y-yeah. Yeah, I; I heard the same thing. So; yeah. I think we should. You know; get, uh;" Jackson's voice trailed off, before returning with his trademark humor, although she could tell from his voice how painfully nervous he was. Just like her. "Besides, it's already pretty awkward, right? What's the harm? It's not like we've never seen each other naked before;" Even so, that was a long time ago, and they'd both changed a lot since then. Still, Lindsey couldn't deny the truth in Jackson words. With a breathless nod, she sat up, and the two friends began to undress. The young woman tried not to look as Jackson first stripped off his t-shirt, followed by his shorts. He paused, hands on the waistband of his boxers, and turned to her, still averting his gaze. "Uh, should we; I mean, we could keep our underwear on; But... "Yeah;" Lindsey's own breathless voice joined his. "I; I'm sure it; uh, it'll work better if there's nothing blocking the body heat; right?" "Yeah, yeah, I think so too;" As Jackson reached down and pulled off his underwear, Lindsey averted her eyes again. She couldn't deny that part of her wanted to see him, stripped naked before her, but she did her best to ignore it. "Just; promise not to look, ok?" Jackson nodded. Staring pointedly at the roof of the car, Lindsey swallowed nervously before unbuttoning her shirt, letting it fall into the foot well as she fiddled with the zipper of her jeans. Down to her underwear, she could feel the bitter cold attacking her bare skin, and the desire to get back under cover overpowered her nerves. Fiddling behind her back with numbing fingers, she struggled to unhook her bra, and when she finally did she let out a yelp of surprise as the fabric slipped from her hand, sending the item straight down onto Jackson's face. A frozen moment hung in the air, before the pair started laughing. Settling back down, Lindsey, reached down and slipped off her panties, the momentum of the moment carrying her forward before she could second guess herself. Hurriedly dragging the mountain of fabric back over themselves, the pair did their best to ignore the feeling of the other person's naked body, pressed so close to their own. But soon they were snuggled down again, and Lindsey couldn't deny the way her bare tits felt pressed against Jackson's chest, her nipples stiffened by the cold and unmistakable against his skin. If she'd felt strange before, it was nothing to how she felt now. In the dark, she could feel her cheeks burning bright red, and she desperately hoped Jackson couldn't see. Between them, her heartbeat pounded in her chest, mixing with Jackson's as the two childhood friends held onto each other, already feeling warmer. She could barely breathe as she slid her arms back over his shoulders, feeling his hands take hold on her waist once again. Even though they'd held each other this way only moments before, without their clothes it felt so much more intimate, and Lindsey, could feel the butterflies in her stomach reaching a fever pitch. Between my legs, she felt a tingling in her loins, and she bit her lip hard in an attempt to calm herself down. Truth be told, she'd never seen a man naked before; she'd never had a boyfriend stick around long enough to get that far. Underneath her, pressed against her thigh, she could feel something hard, and it took her a moment to realize what it was. Concealing a gasp, the young woman. Is that; it can't be? But then, what else could it be? Lindsey realized it could be only one thing; Jackson's penis! Underneath her, she felt her best friend shuffle uncomfortably, and his half-erect cock pressed against her thigh, only inches from her virgin pussy. Lindsey felt a thrill of excitement ripple through her, but she repressed it. She didn't know what to think. Did he; Like her? How long had he felt that way? Was he; thinking about her now? She knew that last part had to be true. After all, she was thinking about him, and it had to be hard to think of anything else with a naked girl pressed on top of you. She couldn't believe this was happening, could never have believed it would happen. Part of her leapt for joy, but the rest of her was just as confused as ever. Should she say something? Try to take it further? Settling her head down onto his chest, she whispered out to him in the dark. "We should; we should sleep." "Yeah; Sleep;" Underneath her, she felt his cock twitch, still pressed against her soft thigh. Despite her words, she knew she couldn't sleep like this. A minute passed. Then another. Soon, an hour had gone by, and Lindsey was still awake, staring silently at the back of the chairs in front. The two lay together, perfectly still, until a voice broke the silence. "Lindsey; Are you still awake?" The young woman froe. She didn't know whether to speak up, or stay silent. Underneath her, she could still feel his hard cock, throbbing against her leg, and how hot it was making her feel. Between her thighs, she could feel how damp her pussy had gotten, and she squeezed them tightly together in an attempt to relieve the pressure. It didn't work. A long moment passed, and she didn't hear anything else from him. She wondered if she should've spoken up, should've said something, should've confessed how she felt, and she was seconds away from opening her mouth when a sudden movement made her pause. Behind her, she felt the grip on her back tighten, and the hips underneath her shift, just enough for the hard shaft pressed against her leg to slip between her thighs. She felt like her heart was about to burst out of her mouth. The thick rod felt even hotter squeezed between her legs, the head ever so slightly damp against her skin. It felt; nice. Really nice. Then she felt him start to move. Lindsey had to bite her lip to stop herself moaning as between her legs, Jackson began to thrust, sliding his cock against her, as the pressure of her legs kept him upright and rock solid. Her heart stopped in her chest as she felt him moving. Oh my god. Oh my god, he's really doing it! Her brain went into overdrive, trying to make sense of what was happening as she felt his cock thrusting slowly, softly, between her thighs. She knew she had to say something, but she had no idea what, especially not now. The last thing she wanted was for him to stop. So, in a mixture of fear and excitement, she lay still, and silent. Her pussy was absolutely soaked. Her pelvis felt hot, incredibly hot, and she had to bite her lip to stop herself moaning in pleasure, the simple act of his thrusts sending her body into a state of near-ecstasy. God, she wanted him. Wanted to feel him inside her, taking her, taking her virginity and making her a woman. Words couldn't describe how badly she wanted Jackson to toss her onto her back, clamp her mouth shut, and pound himself into her till she came. She lay still for what felt like an eternity, just waiting for him to take it further, to force himself into her, before the pressure became too great, and she began moving her hips back in time with his. Slowly, gently, she raised them up as he pulled back, and let them fall down as he pushed up. Not by much, no more than an inch, but it was enough to make her pussy gush with anticipation. Underneath her, Jackson let out a groan and started to buck his hips faster. He must think I'm asleep, she thought to herself. Should I? Maybe I should tell him; But despite her thoughts, Lindsey did nothing. She felt his hands move down her body, across the small of her back to her ass, giving it a soft squeeze as he continued to fuck her thighs. His thrusts started to get longer, driving further up and down, and soon she felt his shaft pressed against her nether lips. The feeling of him so close to her virgin entrance was just too much, and Lindsey let out an involuntary mewl of arousal. Immediately, Jackson's movements stopped, and the young woman bit her lip. Damn it! Don't stop now! From the darkness, she heard a voice, shaking with nervousness. "Lindsey? A-are you awake?" "Don't stop;" was all she managed to say. The lust in her voice surprised even her, the shaky, drawn-out vowels and underlying moan sending ripples through both of them. Immediately, she felt Jackson's hands tense up, squeezing her ass, before his hips started to move again. The girl shut her eyes tight, still moving her hips, drawing him closer to her virgin entrance. She couldn't deny it anymore; she wanted him inside her, want him to make love to her, right there, on the backseat of his car! She loved him, deeply, desperately, and she'd do anything to take things further. "Please; Jackson;" "Yeah?" The young man's voice was as breathless as hers., the tip of his cock pressed firmly against her slit, his hips grinding up and down, grinding against hers, making her whole body shiver with arousal. "I want you to; to fuck me; please; I can't take it anymore!" Without a word, she felt him grab her hips firmly, and press himself against her entrance. Even if she'd wanted to, it was too late to turn back now. With a firm push on the small of her back, he raised his hips, and Lindsey cried out as she felt his cock sink into her virgin snatch, piercing her hymen and burying itself in her to the hilt. Slowly, she turned her head to look at Jackson, a look of absolute pleasure plastered on her features. She stared down for a long, silent moment, mouth hanging open and eyes wide, adjusting to the feeling of penetration, before reaching out and cupping his face, her best friend-turned-lover, and kissing him deeply. Between them, she could feel her walls relaxing around his girth, expanding to fit his thick member, and growing braver she began to over her hips once more, rolling them softly and mewling into his mouth as the two began to make love. Her movements were jerky and clumsy, but as she stared into Jackson's eyes, she could think of nothing but the love she felt for him. Holding on tight, she started to ride him fast, lifting her hips and letting them drop down again, feeling his firm shaft slide in and out of her sopping snatch. In response, Jackson began to move his hips too, thrusting up to meet her, pushing himself deep into his childhood friend before withdrawing. It took a while for the pair to find their rhythm, but soon they were fucking like crazy. Lindsey moaned loudly until Jackson pulled her head back towards him, pressing his lips to hers and kissing her more passionately than ever. As his cock sank into her over and over again, his tongue slipped into her mouth, tangling with hers as he took her virginity. She didn't know if he was still a virgin, but she honestly didn't care. "I wanted this for so long, Lindsey. Wanted you. I love you" "I, I love you too; I've l loved you; for years!" Lindsey's high-pitched voice mingled with her moans. "I'm sorry I pre; pretended to b-be asleep!" Her pussy was on fire, the sex felt better than anything she'd ever experienced before, and as she confessed her feelings for her best friend her movements only get faster, more desperate, pumping her hips as hard as she could while underneath her Jackson bucked and groaned. "I wanted to s-see how far you'd go; whether you.. wanted me too; I'm s-sorry;" She shut her eyes tight in shame, keeping her hips moving as best as she could. Just then, she felt Jackson grab her tight, and flip her onto her back, rolling on top of her and quickly forcing his cock back into her quivering pussy. Lindsey squealed, the sudden change of position exhilarating her, and she grabbed hold of his back as Jackson growled, pounding into her with a fury she'd never seen from him before. Legs up in the air, dangling uselessly, the young woman cried out in pain and pleasure as her lover buried his face in her neck, kissing and biting her as he fucked her mercilessly. Underneath her, she felt his hand still groping at her ass, and as he drove his cock into the deepest parts of your aching pussy, she could only moan and mewl. With his cock thrusting deeply in and out of her, she was helpless to do anything but shake your hips back up in time, squealing and moaning in erotic ecstasy. In the heat of the moment, she barely registered her legs, wrapping around him, keeping him deep inside her as she clung on to his back for dear life, panting and moaning like a bitch in heat. Inside her, she could feel the first sparks of climax beginning to ignite, and she cried out into Jackson's ear as he dominated her, the man of her dreams, her childhood best friend. "Yes! Fuck me, fuck me, Jackson! I love you, I love you so much! Fuck me!" Above her, she felt his pace start to falter, and she wrapped herself even tighter around him. Completely lost in the pleasure, his face buried in her neck as she hung on tight to his shoulders, she knew he must be getting close too. Each deep thrust sent new waves through her, and with each passing second, she felt her climax rising. "Yes! Yes! Yes, don't stop, don't stop, don't stop, don't stop, I’m gonna!" With a sudden cry, she felt herself crash over the edge, her whole body spasming as a wave of incredible pleasure washed over her, dulling her senses as she began to cum. She let out a shriek of ecstasy as her lower body began to rock and shudder, squeezing her pussy around her lover's cock as she came. The ripples of pleasure exploded throughout her entire body, sending her muscles spasming and her legs shaking around his waist. She felt her back arching painfully as her body, wracked with pleasure, crashed through her climax, her entire being seized by spasms as the walls of her pussy quivered and contracted. Through the chaos of her climax, she was dimly aware of Jackson fighting against his own orgasm, trying to pull himself out before he blew his load inside her, but her legs wrapped so tightly around him kept him buried inside. Digging her nails into his back, she wailed out through her orgasm "Cum in me! Cum in me! Do it, please!" Finally, she felt his hips slam forward one last time, his cock pushed deep, deep inside her, as the warmth of his cum began to spread throughout her abdomen. The feeling of being cream-pied only made her cum harder, and a second wave of spasms crashed across her. By the time the two of them were finished, Jackson was well and truly spent, his balls thoroughly emptied into Lindsey's tight teen twat. As their orgasms subsided, he collapsed on top of her, panting as his semen pooled inside her pussy. "Wow;" Lindsey lay beneath him, unable to speak, just panting happily with a smile on her lips. She pulled him in close so she could kiss him again, before wrapping her arms around him, holding him in a tight embrace. "Yeah; What a way to stay warm;" Jackson chuckled at that. "You; you really wanted me for that long?" Lindsey nodded. "For as long as I can remember;" She felt him sigh, and she giggled as he ruffled her hair. "God, I love you Linds;" "I love you too;" leaning up, she planted a kiss on his cheek. Words could describe how happy she was. No, not happy, overjoyed. "You know; something tells me the snows not gonna let up anytime soon;" She gave him a wink. "And there's a lot of other stuff I've always wanted to try. Jackson laughed again, nuzzling back into her neck as he kissed her, his skin hot against hers. As he moved, his softening cock slipped free of her pussy, followed by a thin trail of semen, which ran out of her and began pooling on the car seat below. Lindsey smiled. "You came inside;" She didn't sound angry, or surprised, just; content "Yeah, I guess I did; Not that I had much choice, the way you were clinging to me." He nibbled her ear softly before whispering into it. "But I really liked it;" Lindsey let out a contented mewl. "Me too, it felt amazing;" I giggle softly, and snuggle closer "But something tells me I should start taking birth control from now on. You wouldn't want to fuck a baby into your best friend, now would you?" She laughed again, feeling his cock stiffen underneath her in response. "So, you ready for round two?" Based on a post by LindseyLuv, for Literotica.

There is always a deeper story behind emotional eating, and in this episode Inna and guest Lisa Schlosberg open up the layers most people never connect to food. They explore the moments when you eat without hunger, the childhood patterns that shaped your sense of safety, and the reasons your body may turn to food even when your mind insists you are “fine.” What begins as a conversation about eating quickly becomes a conversation about emotional wiring, nervous system responses, and the parts of you that learned to cope long before you had words for it.Lisa shares her own experience of losing 150 pounds and discovering that the harder work had nothing to do with calories or willpower. It was learning how to feel feelings she spent years avoiding. It was realizing food had been her protection, her comfort, and her armor. Together, she and Inna talk about why emotional hunger feels real, why you can't solve an emotional problem with a physical solution, and how self compassion and internal safety begin to shift lifelong patterns around eating.They also explore the small, often unnoticed triggers that shape your relationship with food. Clean plate conditioning. Scarcity wiring. Eating in front of screens. The need for stimulation. The pull toward comfort when you are overwhelmed. The instinct to stay “strong” at the cost of your own emotional expression. And for many with Hashimoto's, the way growing up without validation creates a lifelong habit of seeking comfort and reassurance outside of yourself.This episode is a grounded, deeply human look at emotional eating, inner safety, and the process of gently rewriting the relationship you have with food. It brings together mind, body, and emotion in a way that will help you understand yourself on an entirely new level.For full show notes, please see:https://innatopiler.com/podcasts/eating-not-hungry-relationship-food-lisa-schlosberg/Get ThyroLove - the first all in one bottle multi-nutrient comprehensive formula designed specifically for those with Thyroid Autoimmunity at ThyroLove.com - use code “Podcast” to get 10% off and free shipping For more information about everything Hashimoto's please visit InnaTopiler.comIf you are struggling to lose weight with Hashimoto's, Inna has a 10 day plan just for you at InnaTopiler.com/jumpstartIf you need help with fatigue or brain fog with Hashimoto's, please check out Inna's 9 Day Exhaustion Solution at innatopiler.com/energyIf you don't yet know your thyroid type, please be sure you sign up for Inna's next free training at InnaTopiler.com/zoomcall

✨ Support the show with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Premium (Ad-Free)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -- Descend into calming darkness with this 8-hour soundscape blending deep sleep ambient music, soft, shimmering wind chimes, and the soothing echo of bubbling water inside a vast underground cavern. The cavern's natural reverb creates a spacious, dreamlike atmosphere, while gentle chimes drift through the stillness like distant lights in the dark. Underneath it all, subtle 6 Hz theta wave binaural beats guide your mind into a deeply relaxed state ideal for dreaming, meditation, and emotional release.

Mark Hix's Part 1 is basically a greatest hits album of British restaurant stories, told by the bloke who lived them. From boozy late nights at the Groucho with Richard Corrigan, to being Tonksed at 3 a.m, the episode opens in full chaos mode. From there, you get deep into the London years. Hix walks us through the Ivy, the Caprice, Scott's and J Sheekey, the creation of dishes like the crispy duck and watercress salad that started life as pork, and a black ink risotto that made Jonathan Meades sit up and take notice. He tells the story of Challenge Hix in the Tram Shed kitchen library, where head chefs cooked against him under a 30 minute clock, and the rules were simple: no more than three main ingredients on the plate and a menu line that actually tells you how a dish is cooked. His disgust at the modern “ingredient, comma, ingredient, comma, ingredient” menu gets a full, glorious rant.The episode is packed with the kind of stuff chefs whisper about. Mark remembers the days when critics like A. A. Gill, Faye Maschler and Jonathan Meades could make or break a restaurant, from rave reviews to absolute shockers. He talks about Gill slagging off the Tram Shed, texting him mid review over oyster details, and the surreal moment he opened a Sunday paper to see his cookbook recipes lined up against Gordon Ramsay's pub dishes in a double page spread. There are tales of the Rivington Grill as a near empty bar that had to “rent a crowd” of Shoreditch artists, his art-for-food deals, and the moment he texted Damien Hirst for a sculpture and ended up with a giant cow and chicken in formaldehyde at the heart of Tram Shed.Underneath the mischief there is a harder story too. Hix talks about growing up in Bridport, watching his grandfather run the local pub and paint business, getting steered into catering college by a family friend, and grinding through the Hilton staff canteen, the Grosvenor House and the Dorchester before landing at the Caprice. He also begins to lift the lid on the brutal side of restaurant ownership, from insane London rents to the moment his business partners put his restaurants into administration two days before lockdown, leaving him to stand in Tram Shed and tell 130 staff they no longer had jobs. It is funny, furious, nostalgic and very human. Part 1 feels like sitting at the bar with Mark Hix while he finally tells you how it all really happened.-------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you've ever said, “I hate tech, I just want this to work,” this episode is your blueprint. Kerri M. Roberts sits down with systems and automation expert Brenda Breland of Build Business Academy and BuildDesk, who helps small business owners automate leads, follow-up, and client journeys - without needing a full-time ops or marketing team. Learn how to plug the money leaks in your follow-up, use automation that feels human, and build simple systems that let you serve your clients with excellence.They unpack the difference between AI that tries to replace you and automation that actually amplifies you, so your clients still feel seen, known, and cared for. Together, Kerri and Brenda walk through why every business, even the tiniest shop, needs a CRM from day one, what smart follow-up really looks like, and how to think through whether you're called to serve B2B, B2C, or both.Underneath all of it is a simple, biblical principle: faithful stewardship. When you care for the systems behind your business and the body God has given you, you're freed up to lead, love, and serve at a higher level. This episode will help you see where your systems may be working against you - and what to do about it before the year ends.Key TakeawaysMost small businesses are leaking money in their follow-up.Automation should amplify you, not replace you.Every business needs a CRM from day one.Content that converts starts with connection.Follow-up is the one automation you can't afford to ignore.Resources✨ HR in a Box – Your Fractional HR Partner for Small Business If you're growing a business and want to build people systems that honor your team and protect your company, HR in a Box gives you the tools, templates, and guidance you need—without the cost of a full-time HR department. From compliant hiring to performance conversations, it's designed to help you lead with clarity, integrity, and confidence. www.saltandlightadvisors.com/hrinabox

How ADHD, Grit, And Faith Built A Boutique Pillow Brand From A BasementIf you've ever tried to build something beautiful between school drop-off and dinner, this conversation will feel like a deep breath. Kelly sits down with Bree—mom of four, dental assistant two days a week, and cofounder of a boutique pillow brand with her mom—to unpack how faith, ADHD, and clear boundaries can turn a basement sewing room into a business with real traction. From the early days of art shows in the rain to a decisive pivot toward e‑commerce, she shares the choices that kept her products accessible without sacrificing quality, and the systems that protect family time while still shipping orders.We dig into the craft: sourcing designer textiles, choosing inserts from a small US maker, and pricing for value over volume. We explore design trends, what actually sells versus what looks stunning on a table, and how to pair patterns for homes that aren't matchy but still feel cohesive. The conversation also moves through the personal—blended family dynamics, making space for one-on-one moments with kids, and building confidence after a major health transformation. Her ADHD becomes a strength with the right rails: defined work blocks, realistic timelines, and the courage to say no so the right yes has room.Underneath it all is a steady thread of faith and partnership. A semi-retired dentist gives her flexible hours. Her husband, a measured risk-taker, quietly finds the website developer. Her mom, sewing from Texas, mirrors production and brings joy to the process. Together they're moving toward weekly product drops, better photography, and a website built for discovery. You'll leave with practical insights on boundaries, pricing, SEO needs for small shops, and the reminder that your gifts aren't meant to sit in a drawer. Hit play, subscribe for more grounded entrepreneurship stories, and tell us: what step are you finally ready to take?Connect with Breanna:IG: @breehartpillowsFacebook: Breanna BrillhartWebsite: Breehart Pillows (Coming Soon-February) (Follow on IG and Facebook for updates to website!)Contact the Host, Kelly Kirk: Email: info.ryh7@gmail.com Get Connected/Follow: The Hue Drop Newsletter: Subscribe Here IG: @ryh_pod & @thekelly.tanke.kirk Facebook: Reclaiming Your Hue Facebook Page CAKES Affiliate Link: KELLYKIRK Credits: Editor: Joseph Kirk Music: Kristofer Tanke Thanks for listening & cheers to Reclaiming Your Hue!

UK sight loss charity RNIB has just announced changes to its Personal Transcription Service. RNIB Connect Radio's Allan Russell spoke to RNIB's Chief Operations Officer Mari Jones for more details. If you'd like more info, go to www.rnib.org.uk or call the Helpline on 0303 123 9999. #RNIBConnect   Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB' written in bold black capital letters and underline with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio' is written in black in a smaller font. 

"The track was built around a single, imperfect moment in time: a field recording I captured while walking through a tunnel by the main market. You can hear distant voices trading words, footsteps, fragments of conversations and the natural reverb of the tunnel itself. That recording became the spine of the piece – I didn't treat it as background noise, but as the main “instrument”. "I started by isolating the most atmospheric sections of the recording, then layered and looped them so the voices and echoes slowly morph into a constant, breathing texture. Multiple delays with different feedback times smear the sounds into long, ghostly trails, while deep reverbs exaggerate the tunnel's natural space and push everything further into an ambiguous, dreamlike distance. "From there, I added subtle filtering, pitch shifting and modulation effects to carve movement inside the static drone, so the ambience never sits still. Underneath, a restrained dub techno pulse emerges – low-end hits, soft chords and minimal percussive details – all heavily processed with send delays and tape-style saturation. The result is a slow, hypnotic piece where the original tunnel recording is still recognisable, but transformed into a drifting soundscape: half real-world memory, half submerged, echoing dream." Jingzhou City South Gate sounds reimagined by Yiannis Vlastaris.

The Sight Loss Information Line is a National Lottery funded project in partnership with Vision Support, Cheshire West & Chester Council, East Cheshire Eye Society, Cheshire East Council and the NHS. It provides information, support and guidance to people with sight loss and recently won the Community Partnership Award sponsored by Specsavers at the Visionary 2025 Awards. Amelia spoke to Vision Support CEO, Lowri Bartrum, and Visionary CEO, Fiona Sandford, to learn more... Learn more about the Sight Loss Information line on the Vision Support website - Sight Loss Information Line - Cheshire, North Wales Learn more about Visionary on their website - Welcome to Visionary - Visionary Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB' written in bold black capital letters and underline with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio' is written in black in a smaller font. 

Welcome to another 12 Holiday Rituals episode! Todd Shipman of Leela Quantum Tech (code: BIOHACKINGBRITTANY) unpacks what quantum energy actually is and how it may protect your body from invisible stressors like EMFs, support nervous system regulation, and even speed up physical healing.  As a dad of six and a long-time skeptic turned believer, Todd brings both data and real-life stories from families using Leela's technology every day. Underneath all the science and stories is one core question: how can modern women live in a tech-saturated world without staying stuck in fight-or-flight? This conversation offers a provocative, grounded way to think about EMFs, intuition, kids' health, and long-term vitality through the lens of quantum energy. Join my 12 Holiday Rituals Giveaway for a chance to win part of $5,500+ USD in wellness prizes. Open until December 24th! WE TALK ABOUT:  05:05 - What quantum healing looks like in real life 08:30 - Helping children connect emotionally to animals, food, and respectful eating 15:15 - A simple explanation of quantum energy and "bubble wrap" around your body 18:35 - Quantum entanglement, twin stories, and "coincidences" that challenge how we see reality 24:55 - How Leela proves efficacy with over 60+ double-blind placebo-controlled studies and HRV data 26:10 - EMFs, Wi-Fi routers, kids' brains, and why babies may be more sensitive than adults 34:20 - Brain waves, flow state, and how quantum products shifted gamma, beta, and alpha in real EEG scans 38:50 - Using Infinity and Travel Blocs to charge food, water, supplements, and protect your home 46:50 - Wound healing, injuries, and how quantum energy can free up mitochondrial "budget" for repair 55:00 - Women's health capsules, micronutrient frequencies, and Todd's before-and-after lab experiment 58:25 - Why animals and even wild deer seek out quantum "safe zones" and what that means for your space RESOURCES: Free gift: Download my hormone-balancing, fertility-boosting chocolate recipe. Explore my luxury retreats and wellness events for women. Shop my faves: Check out my Amazon storefront for wellness essentials. Leela Quantum Tech's website (code: BIOHACKINGBRITTANY) and Instagram Todd Shipman's Instagram Join my 12 Holiday Rituals Giveaway before December 24th LET'S CONNECT: Instagram, TikTok, Facebook Shop my favorite health products Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube Music

Send us a textMemory carries what our kids forget, especially when those memories live in our hands. In this Black girl hairconversation, I sit with my daughter, Majik, for a mother and daughter reflection on Black girl identity and the emotional roots behind our hair journeys. As a mother, I revisit the moment a little boy called her locs ugly, and how that moment shaped her early sense of identity as a Black girl.We start with a fun this-or-that warm-up before moving into the real: boundaries at gymnastics, that Facebook dust-up with parents, and a team meeting that reminded us why “don't touch my hair” is about dignity, hygiene, and protecting Black girl identity. These moments show how a mother and daughter duo learns, unlearns, and stands firm together.Magic shares her daily lock routine, the evolution of her styles, and why a shoelace pineapple is her go-to. She explains the sensory weirdness of scalp-only washes, the time cost that nudged her back toward locking, and the one hair product she won't skip: a good shampoo. I offer the stylist's perspective—density changes, retwist timing, and how to honor every stage of Black girl hair growth while nurturing inner identity.Underneath the styles, this mother and daughter edition dives into culture, confidence, and self-definition. Magic connects her locs to inner strength but refuses to let her hair limit her full identity as a Black girl. We talk about compliments, boundaries, consent, and why asking permission matters. Through it all, one truth holds: Black girl hair is a first language, a boundary, and a bridge to belonging.Press play for stories, strategies, and a soft push to water the roots you can't see yet. If this Black Girl Hair and Identity; Mother and Daughter Edition episode resonates, follow, rate, and share with a mom, auntie, or teen who needs this reminder.What hair story shaped you?Stay Connected to Majik:Majix TikTokMajix InstagramMajix YoutubeSupport the showAre you a part of our Patreon Community and Family?Join us today and let's continue building and fostering healthier connections with our hair—from the inside out. As a member, you'll get access to bonus episodes, behind-the-scenes content, limited e-books, early access, and a supportive space for real conversations that go beyond the mic. Do you have a story to share that's worth our listeners hearing, please fill out the Listener Letters Form and tell us your story! We would love to hear from you! Don't forget to follow Kinetra on Instagram @_hairwhatimsaying_ and check out her website Hair What I'm Saying for more.Please leave a review and rate the show. Let us know how we are doing! Support the Hair What I'm Saying Podcast

Linktree: ⁠https://linktr.ee/Analytic⁠Join The Normandy For Additional Bonus Audio And Visual Content For All Things Nme+! Join Here: ⁠https://ow.ly/msoH50WCu0K⁠ Dive into Segment of Notorious Mass Effect with Analytic Dreamz as he delivers a concise yet complete breakdown of Kelly Clarkson's modern holiday masterpiece, “Underneath the Tree.” Analytic Dreamz explores the American Idol winner's unstoppable holiday takeover: from Wrapped in Red's platinum-certified success (1M+ lifetime sales) to the song's explosive stats—1.2B global Spotify streams, 360K U.S. downloads, 64 weeks on Billboard Holiday 100, new career-high peaks of #10 on the Hot 100 (Dec 2024) and #7 UK Singles (Jan 2025). Discover why ASCAP named it the #1 most-performed 21st-century Christmas song, its Mariah-level cultural dominance, 150% stream spikes from film placements (The Office Christmas Party, Netflix's Princess Switch), and its reign atop holiday charts in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, Norway, and beyond. Analytic Dreamz unpacks every milestone, streaming evolution, radio dominance (61B cumulative audience), and why this 2013 Greg Kurstin co-write has officially become Kelly Clarkson's signature seasonal anthem. The ultimate data-driven deep dive into today's biggest new Christmas classic. Notorious Mass Effect – powered by Analytic Dreamz.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/analytic-dreamz-notorious-mass-effect/donationsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

If your child suddenly got all their screen time back…What would they actually do with it?That's the question at the heart of this week's podcast episode.I sat down with Kai Tang, founder of the Light Phone, and John Stewart, founder of Living School, to talk about:* Why the real problem isn't phones… it's the business model behind them* How Kai went from building smartphones for Motorola, Nokia and BlackBerry to walking away from the attention economy and creating Light Phone — a “tool, not a toy” that's designed to be used as little as possible* What John is seeing in the classroom: how phones are reshaping kids' social lives, learning and independence* And why Living School is about to trial Light Phones as intentional learning tools on buses and expeditions, instead of portable slot machines in kids' pockets.We also dig into:* Australia's upcoming under-16 social media ban* The uncomfortable but accurate analogy between smartphones and cigarettes* Why our kids don't just need new rules — they need a change in environment and for us to model a different relationship with tech.Underneath it all is this one big idea:If we stop letting tech hijack our attention,what kind of parents — and what kind of humans —do we get to become instead?If you've ever looked at your phone after scrolling Instagram for an hour and thought “Why did I just waste all that time?”, I think you'll really get a lot from this episode.And if it sparks something for you, I'd love to hear your thoughts or stories—just hit reply.Big HugRichClick here to find out more about Light's new Light Phone III being trialled at Living School.Click here to find out more about Living School. Get full access to The Dad Mindset at www.thedadmindset.com/subscribe

Welcome back to the Ending Well series. This is week five of looking back over the year, letting God redeem the hard parts, and choosing who we want to become as we step into a new season. Today's episode is all about marriage — but even more specifically, the kind of wife you want to be. Not the Instagram version. Not the performance version. The real, healed, whole version. This year, God radically reshaped how I see myself as a wife. I didn't set out to "become a better wife," but as He broke my addiction to productivity and constant performance, it transformed our marriage into an even safer place, a deeper gift, and a stronger home base. Episode Snapshot In this conversation, I share honestly about: The "strong, high-capacity, always-on" identity I lived in for years How that mindset spilled into our marriage and made me controlling, critical, and exhausted The follower's question that changed everything: "What did you do to change that brought this out in him?" Why sometimes you have to go first in doing the inner work The difference between survival-mode marriage and a marriage built on connection How God used pruning, slowing down, and healing my nervous system to completely shift my role as a wife We also name an important reality: There are marriages where abuse, betrayal, or deep harm is present, and "trying harder" as a wife is not the answer. I am not speaking into those situations; I am sharing from a context where I am married to a good man, and our biggest battles were often with our own mindsets, wounds, and habits. Key Shifts God Made In Me This Year Letting him lead Moving out of constant control mode Asking for his thoughts and actually listening Giving him room to step forward in decisions and in parenting Becoming less reactive, less critical Recognizing how perfectionism makes you hard on yourself and everyone around you Learning the difference between reacting and responding Owning moments where I project my own embarrassment or anxiety onto him Allowing myself to be supported Letting him help with dishes, laundry, the mental load, and home life Receiving service as an expression of love instead of proof that I am failing Integrating my calling and my home No longer seeing ministry or work as competition with being a wife and mom Letting God reorder my priorities: Jesus, marriage, children, then everything else Moving from "two separate versions of me" to one whole, integrated person Underneath it all, God shifted me from: "More of me, doing more, performing more" to "Less of me, more of Him — loving from abundance instead of exhaustion." A Scripture to Sit With "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain." Psalm 127:1 This is true of literal houses and of marriages. Reflection Questions Take these to prayer, to your journal, or into a gentle conversation with your spouse: What kind of wife do I actually want to be — if no one were watching but God? Where am I over-functioning, trying to hold everything together in my own strength? Do I criticize my husband more than I pray for him? Where might God be inviting me to soften, slow down, or make space for him to lead? Am I willing to let Jesus make me whole, instead of just more productive? Sponsor: PreBorn So many women walk into an abortion clinic afraid and alone, about to make a life-altering decision. PreBorn meets them there by offering free ultrasounds, which doubles the likelihood that they will choose life. This year alone, thousands of babies have been rescued through PreBorn's work. They also provide counseling, classes, and practical support for moms up to two years after the baby is born. You can sponsor an ultrasound for 28 dollars and literally help save a life. Visit: preborn.com/speakeasy Sponsor: CrowdHealth Health insurance can feel like a rigged game. CrowdHealth offers a totally different way: a community of people funding each other's medical bills directly, without networks or middlemen. With CrowdHealth you get: Bill negotiators fighting for lower costs More affordable labs and prescriptions A vetted list of doctors And if something big happens, you pay the first 500 dollars and the community helps cover the rest During open enrollment, you can opt out of the old system and take your power back. Get started for 99 dollars for your first three months at: joincrowdhealth.com with code: speakeasy

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you stripped away every distraction —  your screens, your routines, and even your ability to see? What hidden thoughts would rise to the surface? What suppressed emotions would finally have room to move? And what would catch up to you that you have been running from, for potentially years. In this episode, I sit down with Scott Berman, the founder of Sky Cave Retreats, which is the first darkness retreat center in the United States. Scott has spent more than 70 days in total darkness and has guided over 600 people through this profound inner journey. And after doing a darkness retreat myself, I finally understand why SkyCaves is booked out for 3 years and has a 3000-person waitlist. Darkness itself is a threat to the nervous system. And Scott lets everyone know who signs up that their system will probably not react the way they anticipate. He shares that the only thing one needs to bring is HONESTY, and what happens to those who don't.  I share my experience during 4 nights and 3 days in pitch blackness and the profound breakthroughs that occurred when I stopped running from, escaping, and numbing my deepest, rawest feelings. This episode is for anyone curious about nervous system healing, the addiction to the stories that hijack our minds, or what becomes possible when you meet yourself with honesty, zero distractions, and the primordial pressure of the dark. Scott is a beautiful human who leaves us with this question before we enter the cave and turn off the lights: “What would nurture do in this moment?” The answer is usually what we should follow to create the safety in our system we are all searching for.    This episode is for all those who are afraid of the dark and those who are afraid of the parts of themselves that may be trapped in the darkest recesses of their subconscious. Luckily, Scott has the compassion, calm, and skills to hold our hand through it all.  Key Moments You'll Love ✨:

What if the reason you can't speak your truth isn't suppression at all—but complete disconnection from what your truth even is?In this intimate conversation, Raj sits down with Natalie Adele to explore why so many of us (especially women) have lost access to our authentic voice. It's not that we're choosing to stay silent. It's that we've been severed from the body, the heart, and the stillness where truth actually lives.In this episode, you'll discover:Why suppression isn't the real problem—and what isThe surprising place where feminine truth actually lives (hint: it's not your mind)What we're really afraid of when we fear being seenHow childhood micro-moments slowly dial down our life forceThe difference between being seen and being truly knownWhy "sorry" and "sorrow" share the same root—and what that means for your energyThe practice of "dropping anchor" that rebuilds trust with yourselfHow your relationship with yourself directly impacts how men respond to youYour voice was never lost. It's waiting to be reclaimed.The truth you've been afraid to speak, the emotions you've been afraid to feel, the version of yourself you've been afraid to reveal—they're all still there. Underneath the noise. Underneath the conditioning. Underneath every moment you made yourself smaller to feel safe.This episode is your invitation to come home to yourself.

Want some pure chaos in the best way? You're in the right place. Nicole and I are back with another Coco & Lala Show takeover, and we're inviting you to get a little…unhinged.

In 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12, God's will is not framed around finding the right job, city, or spouse, but around becoming holy - set apart in love. The passage reveals both definitive sanctification (already chosen and made holy in Christ) and progressive sanctification (growing more and more into that holiness), and then presses that identity into two intensely practical arenas: sex and work. In a Greco-Roman culture where adultery, prostitution, and cultic sex were normal, believers are called to a radically different sexual ethic that springs from their God-given value and the costly love of Christ displayed at the cross and pictured in Hosea's relentless love for Gomer. At the same time, in a community tempted to idleness and “busybody” living while waiting for Jesus' return, they are called back to quiet, faithful labor that refuses to burden others and instead reflects the God who never stops working for His glory and their good. Underneath both areas is the same heartbeat: those who are “loved by God and chosen” are to live out that love in their bodies and their jobs so that the watching world sees what kind of Lover and Master they belong to.

If you've ever signed up for a huge race, joined a new mastermind, or taken on a massive work project right when you said you were finally going all-in on your golf game or business… this episode is going to sting a little—in the best way. In this solo conversation, I pull back the curtain on how I caught myself red-handed sabotaging my own journey to scratch by committing to a 75-mile race. On the surface, it looked disciplined, inspiring, and productive. Underneath, it was something else entirely: a socially acceptable way to avoid the emotional discomfort of fully committing to the goal that matters most to me. I call this pattern noble avoidance—and if you're a high-achieving golfer or entrepreneur, there's a very good chance it's running the show in your life too. In this episode, you'll learn: What "noble avoidance" is and how it quietly sabotages your biggest goals Why hard, impressive challenges can actually feel safer than your true dream How fear of failure, fear of success, and fear of being seen trying feed noble avoidance The subtle ways noble avoidance shows up in golf, business, fitness, and relationships 10 real-world examples so you can spot it in your own calendar and commitments Five candid reflection questions to expose where you're hiding behind "good" excuses Why "less is more" and "be boring" are the real superpowers behind scratch-level success Get your pencils ready and start listening.  P.P.S. Curious to learn more about the results my clients are experiencing and what they say about working with me? Read more here. Play to Your Potential On (and Off) the Course Schedule a Mindset Coaching Discovery Call Subscribe to the More Pars than Bogeys Newsletter Download my "Play Your Best Round" free hypnosis audio recording. High-Performance Hypnotherapy and Mindset Coaching Paul Salter - known as The Golf Hypnotherapist - is a High-Performance Hypnotherapist and Mindset Coach who leverages hypnosis and powerful subconscious reprogramming techniques to help golfers of all ages and skill levels overcome the mental hazards of their minds so they can shoot lower scores and play to their potential. He has over 16 years of coaching experience working with high performers in various industries, helping them get unstuck, out of their own way, and unlock their full potential. Click here to learn more about how high-performance hypnotherapy and mindset coaching can help you get out of your own way and play to your potential on (and off) the course.  Instagram: @thegolfhypnotherapist  Key Takeaways: Noble avoidance is choosing a worthy, productive, or impressive pursuit to avoid the deeper emotional work required for the goal you truly want. A goal like running 75 miles is brutally hard physically, but it can be emotionally safer than going all-in on becoming a scratch golfer. Fear of failure, fear of success, and fear of being seen truly trying are core drivers behind noble avoidance. Your subconscious is addicted to safety, familiarity, and predictability—and will recreate old patterns, even painful ones, to stay "safe." Noble avoidance often looks like rebranding, building systems, learning more, or "helping everyone else" instead of doing the uncomfortable, needle-moving work. Looking at your calendar is one of the most honest ways to see what you're truly committed to versus what you just claim to care about. Long-term success comes from doing fewer things, better—embracing boring, consistent reps instead of chasing exciting side quests. Key Quotes: "Noble avoidance is the subconscious strategy of choosing a worthy pursuit to avoid the deeper emotional discomfort of your true goal." "Underneath noble avoidance is self-protection disguised as self-improvement." "It's ambition used as armor and momentum pointed in the wrong direction." "Running 75 miles isn't easier physically—it's easier emotionally." "If I give everything and still fall short, I'm out of excuses—and that's terrifying." "Noble avoidance is still avoidance. Until you name it, you continue to serve it." "Success is built on the same boring principles executed relentlessly over and over and over." Time Stamps: 00:00: The Journey to Scratch Golf 05:43: The Commitment Dilemma 11:15: Understanding Noble Avoidance 16:18: Confronting Fears and Identity 21:37: Taking Action and Moving Forward

Welcome to the Christmas series! Underneath the starlit sky, surrounded by hay and animal filth, the Savior of the World and Hope of Heaven is born. The climax of creation and crescendo of the cosmos takes place in the most humble of contexts.  Sign up for special devotionals at StoriesoftheMessiah.com. As we dive deeply into iconic Bible heroes' enthralling narratives, we find more than just stories of faith and miracles. We discover a recurrent theme, a spiritual undertone that connects each tale to the grandeur of the Gospel. They're not just standalone legends; they're threads in a divine tapestry, weaving a story that foreshadows Jesus Christ, the ultimate hero, the promised Messiah who brings light to the darkest corners of history. For more Bible stories download the Pray.com app.  To learn more about Rabbi Schneider visit https://discoveringthejewishjesus.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Found Podcast, we're trading strategy for stories and KPIs for giggle fits. To celebrate Thanksgiving and our November theme of family for the ambitious woman, I invited two of the biggest influences in my life and leadership to join me on the mic: my sister, Jessica Ryan, and my mom, Kathy McAllister. This episode is…unhinged in the best way. We swap stories about handmade Halloween costumes, soda cans secretly stashed in dresser drawers, hiding Dad's favorite candy, President's Day "mystery trips," and the legendary Mother's Day "Guilty Pleasure" road trip. We talk about the chaos of motherhood, what's different from the generations before us, and how much we all rely on humor to make the hard parts lighter. If you need something cozy and familiar in your ears while you bake pies, drive to Grandma's, or hide in the pantry from your kids for five minutes of peace—this one's for you. Underneath all the laughter, there's a quiet throughline: ambitious women need people who know where they came from, cheer them on, and don't mind making fun of them (lovingly) along the way. Key Quotes "The influences in my life, I feel like you guys have always taught us that things are just better when they're fun." "Not everything has to be so serious. And even when it is serious, it's okay to bring a little levity to the situation." "That's what we need as ambitious women—we need our cheerleaders, our support system, the people who remember where we came from and aren't afraid to make fun of us along the way." Resources & Links Connect with Molly on Instagram: @mollyknuth Listen to more episodes of The Found Podcast: https://mollyknuthmedia.com/podcast/ Share this episode with a friend who needs a laugh this week!

Samuel Kerr joins Marley Kayden to provide context to the public debate about a bubble in A.I. stocks. He addresses the underlying concerns expressed by investors using recent weeks to take profits, pointing to the steep selling action in Nvidia (NVDA) as an example. Samuel looks at the perceived battle lines drawn between Alphabet's Google (GOOGL) and Nvidia, citing notable investors like Warren Buffett, Peter Thiel and Michael Burry joining the fray. Later, Samuel paints a "worst case scenario" for A.I. and Crypto companies looking to IPO. ======== Schwab Network ========Empowering every investor and trader, every market day.Options involve risks and are not suitable for all investors. Before trading, read the Options Disclosure Document. http://bit.ly/2v9tH6DSubscribe to the Market Minute newsletter - https://schwabnetwork.com/subscribeDownload the iOS app - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/schwab-network/id1460719185Download the Amazon Fire Tv App - https://www.amazon.com/TD-Ameritrade-Network/dp/B07KRD76C7Watch on Sling - https://watch.sling.com/1/asset/191928615bd8d47686f94682aefaa007/watchWatch on Vizio - https://www.vizio.com/en/watchfreeplus-exploreWatch on DistroTV - https://www.distro.tv/live/schwab-network/Follow us on X – https://twitter.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/schwab-network/About Schwab Network - https://schwabnetwork.com/about

This week… "Where have you been feeling confused? Where have you been telling yourself that you're confused? What's that confusion actually about? Underneath that confusion, are you actually clear? Do you actually have a strong feeling, maybe a bodily or an emotional or intuitive feeling that you don't want to accept? ...It's time to look at that confusion."This week-ahead reading for Nov 24-30, 2025 is an excerpt from this week's⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Somatic Space class⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with Renee Sills. For the full-length forecast and embodied practice for this week,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠purchase the recording here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

This week on Wisdom From The Wardrobe, the team opens with an In the News, and this one definitely raised a few eyebrows. Skims had unveiled faux hair micro-string thongs; yes, essentially their take on the classic merkin, and the collection sold out almost instantly. The crew embarks on their usual sense of humor with this unexpected launch that created quite a stir. From there, the focus shifts to foundation wear, the unsung hero of every great outfit. The team dives into the essentials of bras, shapewear, and all the behind-the-scenes pieces that determine whether you feel comfortable and confident throughout the day. They walk through the questions everyone should be asking about fit, shape, and support, and share firsthand experiences with brands they've tried, loved, and learned from. It's a practical, candid, and surprisingly entertaining look at the part of style no one sees but everyone feels. Here for all your style needs, inside and out.

Every generation has wondered about the end times—but with constant headlines, global instability, wars, and the rise of AI, it feels more real than ever. Underneath the question “Is this it?” lies a deeper fear many believers quietly carry: The end times are something to fear. In this episode, I sit down with apologist and Pastor Jason Carlson to unpack your biggest questions about Israel, prophecy, global conflict, technology, and how believers can live ready—not scared. God's plan for the end of the story isn't meant to alarm us, but anchor us. If you've ever felt anxious about the future or confused by what's happening in the world, this conversation will give you clarity, confidence, and hope. What We Cover: -Are we actually living in the end times? -What the Bible does and does not say about Israel -How to interpret “wars and rumors of wars” -Should Christians be afraid of AI? -Why fear is not God's intention for His people -What it means to “live ready” with hope -The promise behind God's final plan