#i will never forget seeing her in nashville in 2019 | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

taylizmasterpost · 4 years ago

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Reconciliation and Late-Stage Tayliz (September 2014 - Present)

Despite not seeing each other for a while, Taylor and Liz clearly still hold a soft spot in each other’s hearts.

During the Secret Sessions for 1989 in Nashville, fans took pictures in Taylor’s home, and you can clearly see she has photos from Charleston displayed:

When it came time to mend the fences between Taylor and Liz, Claire Callaway was the one who ended up doing it:

2 October 2014 - Claire tweets a TBT to the Charleston trip. Liz responds to it:

That seems to get the ball rolling, because when Taylor drops Out of the Woods as a single, this happens:

14 October 2014 - Taylor and Liz tweet about how much they miss each other:

Then, when Taylor walks the runaway with Karlie at the VSFS, this happens:

Taylor is with Karlie at the time, and obviously nothing romantic is happening on Liz’s end either, because...

20 December 2014 - Liz gets engaged to Bryan Brown and has dinner with friends:

16 February 2015 - Liz tweets that Taylor is badass

8 April 2016 - Liz makes this gay post on Facebook that I’d like to think is a response to Style, since the MV had come out a few months before:

And Liz seems to have found a group of gay friends...

Although, that could just be a typo.

15 July 2015 - Liz posts on Facebook that “Thanks to some really talented friends, I got to record something beautiful today. Can’t wait to share this one.” The picture she attaches definitely looks like Taylor:

Liz also tweets this:

We do NOT know where Taylor was that day. However, she performed in DC on the 1989 tour on the 14th and was papped in NYC on the 16th so it’s not impossible she was in Nashville working on something with Liz. Unfortunately, whatever they worked on has yet to surface (unless you subscribe to the theory that Liz is WB...)

3 August 2015 - Shawn Brooks releases a song called Matter of Time that was written sometime in 2014 by Liz.

Notable lyrics include:

She’s got me lovestruck, crazy Going out of my mind She’s got me lovestruck, crazy But sooner or later, she’s gonna be mine It’s just a matter of time

Don’t know what this means for Liz or TayLiz, since Liz has been with Bryan since early 2013 at the latest, but this is very gay and fun.

27 August 2015 - Thirst tweet:

31 August 2015 - Liz calls Taylor sexy in response to the Wildest Dreams MV:

15 October 2015 - Liz tweets about Better Than Revenge:

28 October 2015 - Liz quote tweets Taylor about OOTW acoustic:

11 November 2015 - Liz responds to Caitlin’s tweet tagging Taylor about nostalgia:

9 December 2015 - Liz congratulates Taylor on her Grammy noms:

13 December 2015 - Taylor’s birthday. Liz wishes her HBD:

29 January 2016 - Liz says her favorite song from 1989 is This Love:

15 February 2016 - Liz and Taylor both attend UMG’s Grammys afterparty at the Ace Hotel Theater :

26 February 2016 - Liz posts a TBT to Charleston:

16 April 2016 - Liz and Taylor both attend Coachella:

6 May 2016 - Liz tweets about This Love:

10 May 2016 - Liz possibly writes STFU and Hold Me (likely about Bryan, since he’s out on tour with the woman he’s going to leave Liz for, signaling to me that their relationship is on the fritz):

4 August 2016 - Liz posts a throwback to the Vogue photoshoot at the Bowery.

3 September 2016 - Liz and Bryan’s last interaction on Twitter:

(Bryan had been on tour with Jillian -- who he’d later marry -- and tweeting at her all summer, much more than he’d been tweeting with Liz). It’s important to note the way their relationship ended for when we start studying who Liz’s songs are about.

26 November 2016 - Liz tweets about Clean, possibly signaling her and Bryan have broken up by this point:

13 December 2016 - Liz wishes Taylor happy birthday with a post about Charleston (captions vary based on site). This also signals to me that her and Bryan are over, since she’s reminiscing on Taylor picking her up off the ground after her breakup with Jason:

11 July 2017 - Liz tells a fan that You Are In Love and All Too Well are her favorite songs from 1989 and Red (guess her favorite song is no longer This Love…):

11 August 2017 - Liz releases STFU and Hold Me:

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This MV has a LOT of parallels to the IKYWT video. The lyrics talk about “staring with a bang” (”took off faster than a green light go”?), and reckless abandon (”this path is reckless”). MV parallels are as follows (thank you @mercuryonparklane for all the help finding this):

(notice the key necklace?)

So, either Liz is lowkey ripping off Taylor’s work or she’s trying to signal that she was the muse for IKYWT. However, considering Liz is deliberately trying to keep her image separate from Taylor, it doesn’t make any sense that she would try and rip her off. Of course, it could just be a big coincidence...

30 September 2017 - In an interview with The Young Folks, Liz says that STFU and Hold Me is about “getting to that point in a relationship where you’re sick of going around and around talking about the same issue with your partner and it’s time to wave the white flag,” Huett says. “We’ve all been there.”

Of the lyrics “I’m coming from a line of problems / I was born and I became a product” Liz says “I’m not exactly the most polished person. I’d rather be real than perfect and sometimes that means I say things that make people uncomfortable or act out in relationships and test limits, etc… I’m an honest mess but I believe I can and should be loved in light of that. :)”

I still think this song was written about the end of her relationship with Bryan, but it’s still interesting to see how Liz describes herself in relationships.

27 October 2017 - Liz releases H8U

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This is another song that I think was written about Bryan. The lyrics reference taking another woman to a Tom Petty concert (Liz LOVES Tom Petty) and generally moving on quickly with another woman, which seems apt for the Bryan/Jillian situation going on.

HOWEVER, the lyrics also reference “our first date two years ago,” which doesn’t make any sense, since Liz and Bryan didn’t break up until 2016 and were together since early 2013. So it could maybe be lyrically about Taylor.

I do think the MV makes a deliberate Taylor reference, though, with the interrupting the wedding scene. Taylor famously had Liz dress as the Bridezilla on the Speak Now album art:

And, at the end of the H8U MV, Liz DOES kiss the blonde bride on the mouth after interrupting her wedding... which is... INTERESTING (especially since Liz is dressed in full RED the whole MV):

I don’t think it’s a stretch to presume Liz could’ve reversed their roles here. IDK.

9 November 2017 - Liz makes her “H8U, love these” playlist on Spotify, which features All Too Well.

1 November 2017 - Liz obsesses over Reputation:

15 November 2017 - Taylor posts an IG story with photos of her Liz and Caitlin in Australia in the background:

13 December 2017 - Liz wishes Taylor happy birthday:

20 December 2017 - In a now deleted tweet Liz obsesses over New Year’s Day

6 April 2018 - Liz releases Don’t LV U Anymore. Here are some interesting lyrics:

I don't steal your chapstick anymore / Don't wake up to your kiss anymore / And I don't have a washer and dryer full of guitar picks anymore / 'Cause you don't come over to my place anymore / Don't flirt with my roommate anymore / And I don't run to your friends / To get them on my side when we fight anymore / And I never say it / I keep it inside / But maybe I'm wasted / Or maybe it's time to get this off my chest, babe / ... / I don't love you anymore / But I don't love you any less / I don't play you my songs anymore / To see if they're good anymore / You don't tell me your secrets / 'Cause you don't know if I keep them to myself anymore / I don't go to church anymore / Don't know what to believe anymore / And I don't remember the beat of your heart / The smell of your car anymore / ... / Two years and counting / Still got all this weight on my chest / Two years and counting / And I can't remember what I can't forget

Based on the “two years and counting” line, as well as the line about a washer and dryer of guitar picks, I’m inclined to believe this is another song about Bryan.

However, it is a really similar sentiment to that Civil Wars song Liz posted back when her and Taylor first ended things, and the line about running to get friends on a side when fighting is very similar to the “you go talk to your friends, talk to my friends talk to me” in WANEGBT and the image in Battle/Let’s Go of all their friends standing around watching them fight. Could go either way.

9 April 2018 - Liz reposts a Facebook post announcing Dammit that implies it was written a while ago. But we already knew that.

19 May 2018 - Reputation in Pasadena. Liz attends. Surprise Song: All Too Well. Camila Cabello is the opening act.

27 May 2018 - Liz gives an interview at Bottlerock festival where she says that Wrecking Ball by Miley Cyrus is a song she used to get over someone (likely Bryan). She also says Havana was the song she last had stuck in her head -- probably because Camila performed it at Taylor’s show the previous week.

14 March 2019 - Liz makes a happy birthday post for Antoni (who’s dating her friend Trace):

27 April 2019 - Bryan and Jillian get married:

3 May 2019 - Liz releases Nothing Personal:

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This feels like DIRECT BRYAN SHADE, since she released it right after his wedding. However, you definitely could also read it as being about being let go from The Agency.

Early May 2019 - Taylor shoots YNTCD. Her and Antoni bond over their love of The National (keep in mind Taylor would end up asking a member of the National to work on exile with her):

17 June 2019 - Liz likes Taylor’s post announcing YNTCD is out:

26 June 2019 - Liz posts on IG a video of unreleased song “One of These Days” with the caption “i’m emo” Lyrics:

One of these days I’ll rise above the blue / One of these days when I get sober too / I’ll be flying high you know / Gonna say I told you so / One of these days I’ll rise above the blue / The stars will align / My heart will come back to life / I won’t have to cry anymore / Someday soon, when I / When I get over you / One of these nights I’m gonna get some sleep / One of these nights you won’t be in my dreams / I will lay this love to rest / I will miss you in this bed / One of these nights I’m gonna get some sleep / The stars will align / My heart will come back to life / I won't have to cry anymore / Someday soon, someday / When I get over you

More evidence that Liz does, indeed, struggle with the things that Reddit post suggested.

14 August 2019 - Liz posts on IG a video of an unreleased song called “I Wanted It to Be You” with the caption “I really did” and a red rose emoji. Lyrics:

I’ll find someone else to take your place / In no time at all I’ll be okay / So you don’t have to say it babe / We don’t have to cry / ‘Cause I know you got shit to do / And baby so do I / I’ll find someone else to take your place, hey / I wanted it to be you I’m closing down the bar with / I wanted it to be you I’m fighting in the car with / Who I could push away / Come back and beg to stay / Ooh, I wanted it, I wanted it, I wanted it / I wanted it to be you

Likely for Bryan BUT maybe a red rose grew up out of frozen ground with no one around to tweet it (lol I’m joking the lakes is very likely not about Liz).

22 August 2019 - Taylor releases the Lover MV, featuring the “breakable heaven” board game:

In the bottom left corner, you can spot a blue 0527. May 27th is Liz’s birthday. What does this mean? I don’t know. I absolutely do not know, but whatever it is is driving me INSANE.

28 August 2019 - Liz posts on Twitter a screenshot of her listening to Cornelia Street:

16 October 2019 - Liz comments on a fan’s video of Taylor performing at the NPR Tiny Desk concert saying “she cute”:

19 November 2019 - Liz says on IG that her favorite songs from Lover are The Archer and Cornelia Street:

22 November 2019 - Liz releases That’s What You Get. This is the one late-stage Liz song that I FULLY BELIEVE is about TayLiz due to a few very specific lyric parallels:

“That’s what you get when you recklessly fall in love” >> “This path is reckless” from Treacherous

“That’s what you get for keeping your armor up” >> “You come around and the armor falls” from State of Grace >> “I would put my armor down if you said you’d rather love than fight” from Story of Us.

“And all your friends are lining up to hate me” >> “You go talk to your friends talk to my friends talk to me” from WANEGBT >> “First shot’s fired everybody’s gathered around” from Battle >> “I can't run to your friends anymore / To get them on my side when we fight anymore” from Don’t LV U Anymore.

It also, just from an outside perspective, doesn’t make any sense for Liz to write a breakup song about Bryan blaming herself when it seems very clear to me that they broke up because Bryan wanted to be with Jillian instead. That’s not her fault. So either this is about another breakup (I’d guess Taylor, based on the lyric parallels), or she’s just very very self-loathing and won’t let herself think it’s Bryan’s fault (which both H8U and Nothing Personal don’t suggest to me).

25 November 2016 - Liz posts a video on her IG story about Taylor at the VMAs.

6 December 2019 - Liz talks about That’s What You get with Earmilk and gives an interesting quote:

Huett explains, “This song is about facing myself after a brutal season of running from it... I made a self-destructive choice that hurt someone I really value. The angle of the chorus is really sort of a letter to me after that first long look in the mirror. It SUCKED. However, in owning my shit (and sharing this song) my hope is that listeners might apply the sad lesson without having to learn the hard way, or, if they’ve ever found themselves in the regretful position I was once in, I hope this song can at least make them feel less alone."

This is SO DIFFERENT fro mhow her relationship with Bryan ended, but matches up so well with Liz getting help and owning her shit after spiraling in 2012.

24 July 2020 - Folklore drops. Two of the songs are written by the mysterious William Bowery. One of those songs is Betty -- a popular nickname for Elizabeth. Liz tweets at Taylor about the 1 because all of Taylor’s exes wanna think that song is about them.

So, IN CONCLUSION: Liz got help and worked through her shit and they’re on good terms now. They were possibly working on something together in 2015, although that never saw the light of day as far as we know. Liz seems to maybe be referencing Taylor in her music and MVs, but there’s no way to know for sure. Better Than Revenge on the Speak Now Tour was an iconic moment of sapphic energy, and maybe, just maybe, when Taylor re-records her masters, Liz will sing backup for her again.

Thanks for reading!

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puckngrind · 5 years ago

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What’s in a Name: 13 - J. Toews

Chapter 13.

Where we left off: Christmas in Chicago where Bekah finds a hidden present in the tree.

Warnings: smut, language

Word Count: 4,102

Series Masterlist ) Puck ‘n Grind’s masterlist

Bekah had never felt more nervous than she did prepping for the team Christmas party. FaceTiming Brynn while going over details and watching Jon on television.

“Bekah, breathe! Sit, let’s chat. The party will be amazing tomorrow. They will all be drinking and they don’t care if it’s perfect they just want to hang out together. Plus, maybe lock your bedroom door and change your guest sheets.” Brynn turned on her mothering voice and Bekah stopped and looked at the phone propped up on the counter.

“Rin, this is my first big thing with the team, first. I don’t want to fuck it up! Also, did you just suggest that? No? Really! Here?” Bekah made a face trying to not think about what Brynn was insinuating as she leans against the counter and her new necklace dangles into view.

“Oh, my eyes! My eyes! It’s so, so bright!” Brynn jokingly yells shielding her eyes from the light bouncing off the diamond.

“Funny, Rin.”’ Bekah rocks the necklace between her fingers remembering when she opened the box a few days prior.

“Let’s talk about that fine piece of jewelry and what you thought it was, shall we?” This made Bekah scoop up the phone and crash on the couch. She didn’t answer Brynn. “Ok, I’ll start. That box was smallish from the picture you sent so I’m sure you thought it was something else, am I wrong?” Bekah’s face contorts and starts to speak but words don’t form. “Yeah, so, Bekah, what if it was a ring? Would you go all Bekah on him or say yes without question because you are madly in love with that man?”

“Rin, we’ve only been dating since April.” Bekah fiddles with the necklace. Her fingers tracing the platinum script T holding a diamond. She was sure Jon custom made for her but he wouldn’t answer her questions about it.

“Bekah, friend, love you but...” Bekah inhaled sharply and Brynn laughs. “But, you two have been together for almost four years. F-O-U-R! Four. Don’t give me this undefined horse shit. You are in love with each other. You are so so very good for each other. And when that man does propose in some ridiculously amazing romantic way, you my friend better say yes.”

“Yes, there you go baby!” Bekah’s attention went to the overtime game and Jon’s assist to win it.

“I mean that answer would work. Maybe leave out the last part. Just the first word will do.” Brynn laughs out and Bekah joins her.

“I better head to bed. Busy few days.” Bekah yawns.

“Oh yes, enjoy watching the Winter Classic at Notre Dame! We won’t talk about how jealous my husband still is.” Brynn whispers.

“Speaking of, tell him I said hello. I’ll talk to you soon.” With that the friends ended the call and Bekah headed to bed.

The next few days were jam packed with Blackhawks events. The Christmas party went well and then they all headed to South Bend for New Years. Jon and Bekah had team dinner where Jon mispronounced his own last name for the security guard just like Bekah thought it was pronounced back when they met. He was relaxed both Bekah and the team took notice. The two didn’t stay late and headed back to their hotel room before midnight. Jon kisses Bekah hard as the clock struck midnight. “I’m so glad I got to ring in 2019 with you, Beks.” He whispered with the sound of the New York City ball drop coverage on the television of their hotel room.

“Me too, Tae. Now we need to sleep. You have a big game tomorrow. I mean today.” Bekah kisses him again.

“2018 might have been the best year yet but I cannot wait to see what 2019 holds for us, you know?” He pulls at her leg to bring it up onto his hip. Jon’s other hand holding her head as their lips crash into one another.

“Agreed, Jon, but you need to sleep.” Bekah whimpers as they break for air.

“We will but I would like to see if 2019 sex is different.” Jon laughs as he pulls Bekah’s shirt off her body.

“I’m pretty sure it’s the same that it was this morning.” Bekah chirps as she takes his shirt off too.

“Well, let’s find out. Shall we?” His voice was low as he lowered both their bodies to the bed. “I mean we had a whole day of media and skating and it’s a new year.” He hovers over her body kissing down her jaw and sucking at the base of her neck.

“Yeah,”’ Bekah breathes out. “I’m just glad I didn’t fall on national television that’s all.” This makes Jon laugh into her skin.

“Me too, Baby. I’m sure they would have a field day with it too. Someone would mention that you were my girlfriend as you were flat on the ice.” Jon snakes down her body and back up to pull her nipples in between his teeth and fingers. Bekah’s body jolts up at the sensation. Her fingers run through Jon’s hair.

“Tae...” Bekah moans out as Jon drops further down her body to rid both of them of the rest of their clothing. His fingers slip through her folds and pump a few times.

“So ready for me aren’t you Baby?” Bekah nods as Jon replaces his fingers with the tip of cock then slides himself into Bekah while moving his body over hers as he bottoms out. She wraps her legs and arms around him pulling their bodies together and with all her might she rolls their bodies over. “Oh!” Jon’s voice sounds shocked as his back hits the mattress and Bekah sits up.

“This okay?” Bekah questions taking in Jon’s look. She runs her hands down his abs and repositions her body before rocking her hips.

“Fuck yes, it feels amazing.” Jon’s hips jolt up into Bekah and she grinds herself into him. Each movement elicits sounds of pleasure that escapes from their lips. Jon’s hands move from Bekah’s hips to cup her breasts. Running his thumbs over her peaks causing a jolt to pulsate through her body and she clinches around him. “Merde. Beks. Fuck.” Jon feels himself close. Bekah lowers her body flush with his and kisses him hard. His hands return to her hips and pulls her with the small rolling of his hips. He shutters and releases. Bekah’s body shakes and his arms wrap around her to keep her body attached to his. Both panting trying to catch their breath from that high.

“Well...” Bekah attempts to speak but cannot control her breath.

“Agreed.” Jon huffs out as he rolls their bodies to the side and runs his fingers through Bekah’s hair and down spine.

“Sleep. Tae. Sleep.” Bekah whispers as she cuddles up into him.

The experience of the Winter Classic was cold but fun. Brynn blew up her phone when she saw the coverage from family skate. Bekah was loved the look of pure joy on Jon’s face from the picture Brynn sent of the screen. That look was not mirrored in the game itself. The team didn’t do well but as Jon told the media, the experience was one he’d never forget. Bekah listened and wondered if he meant playing at the historic stadium or having her with him for the whole event. Maybe he meant both.

Bekah braced herself after the overtime loss to Nashville a few days later. This meant that her birthday might be spent with an uptight Jon focused on game tape and skating late. She instead woke up to the smell of coffee and breakfast in bed. “Joyeux anniversaire mon amour.” Jon leans over and kisses her lips.

“Merci Tae! But why does birthday sound like anniversary?” Bekah questions the French as Jon slides in front of her on the bed.

“It is the anniversary of your birth, Beks. Speaking of, you make 31 look damn sexy, Baby.” Jon takes the piece of bacon he was eating and waves it like a wand in her direction. “So beautiful.” Bekah feels the blush coming to her cheeks as she sips on her coffee.

“Don’t you have morning skate?” She looks at the clock puzzled.

“I took the day off.” Jon smirks. “I think they will call it a maintenance day. Wanted to spend the whole day with you.”

“We are celebrating my birthday at home before heading to Miami on break. We discussed this. Brynn is having my parents over and everything.” Bekah kicks her foot at Jon under the breakfast tray.

“We are. I just wanted to spend the day with you that’s all. Nothing big. We can lay in bed all day if you want.” His face lights up so his eyes are lost in his smile.

“Promise? No hidden presents? No surprises at dinner? Nothing?” Bekah’s eyebrows narrow.

“Dinner with Brandon and Alyssa only as promised.” Jon winks and crosses his heart with his finger.

“I saw that.” Bekah sips her coffee again.

“Swear. Just the four of us. Official birthday celebrations happening only in Ohio. Well, maybe a cake a dinner but that’s it.” Jon shifts and leans to kiss her lips. His promise held true. Dinner with the Saad’s only was different by the added cake the restaurant placed sparklers in and a small gift from Alyssa.

“You really didn’t need to get me anything.” Bekah looked at the gift bag Alyssa slid across the table.

“Nothing big, promise!” Alyssa motioned for Bekah to open it. Inside a tub of candy buckeyes and a kitchen flour sack towel that made Bekah laugh.

“What’s it say?” Jon leans over to read. “We’re a little nuts in this house.” The words flanked by a buckeye with it’s leaf and an outline of Ohio. “Hey!” Jon’s fake offend voice makes the table laugh.

“Thank you.” Bekah grabs Alyssa’s hand and squeezes.

“Saw it and thought of you. Plus the buckeyes are delicious and that company is from Columbus.” Alyssa smiles as the four resume dinner and discuss plans for break and upcoming home games.

Bekah sat nervously with her Winter Classic hat and new Toews jersey on as the Blackhawks took the ice after a five game losing streak. She knew if the next two games added to the streak that vacation would not be as relaxing as they both needed it to be. Jon’s goal in the first gave them a lead then he scored again in the third. Bekah was on the edge of her seat when she sees the pass to Jon and he redirects the puck into the back of the net. Bekah jumped with everyone in the arena. Hats start flying and she rips her hat off her head and tosses it towards glass. Jon skates by and blows her a kiss before heading back to the bench so the hats can be cleared. After the game, Bekah practically ran into his arms. He picked her up spun her around. “Seven!” She squeals as his lips press to hers.

“I’ll have to replace your hat but here, maybe this will make up for it.” Jon places her back on the ground and fishes the puck out of his coat pocket.

“Tae, that’s yours.” She realizes it his hat trick puck.

“I have plenty. This is your first. You called it way back when we met. Remember?” His hand brushes the hair that fell out of her bun she put her hair in after the loss of the hat. Bekah nods. “One more game then home and vacation.” Jon kisses her and leads her to the car.

Bekah was practically dancing as their plane landed Wednesday evening in Columbus. She was excited to have Jon back in her hometown even if it was only for a few days. Brynn was tasked to plan a small get together Friday evening for Bekah’s birthday but Jon told Bekah he wanted to explore her city just the two of them on Thursday. With everyone working and Jon not having hockey the thought of just meandering around Columbus was exciting.

“I want to go down to the river and walk.” Jon rounds the corner of their hotel room.

“Tae, it’s freezing outside! I thought we could do some of the inside things. You know, Art Museum or the Conservatory.” Bekah has a puzzled look plastered on her face.

“Come on, bundle up. We can do all the indoor things you want after lunch.” He kissed her lips and shuffled her towards the luggage.

“Maybe I should just wear my beach wear!” Bekah chuckles while looking over how ridiculous her luggage looked.

“I mean, I would love it but you might get frostbite in some interesting places.” Jon answers while Bekah comes out dressed in layers, her peacoat and knit hat already on.

“My gloves are missing.” Bekah shoves her hands in her pockets again.

“I’ll buy you new ones today and I’ll keep you warm on our walk. Promise!” Jon wraps her up and they head out to the street and towards the river. “This really is a beautiful area.” Jon breathes in the cold air and looks from the river to the buildings.

“I love it but don’t miss it as much as I thought I would.” Bekah snuggles into Jon’s side as he pulls her shoulder into him.

“I’m glad you said that. I never thought I’d get you to leave honestly. I dropped so many hints.” Jon shifts his weight and clears his throat.

“I remember. Every time you would say anything about Chicago I would doubt how someone like you would want me. I still sometimes don’t know how I got so lucky.” Bekah looks up at Jon. “You okay, Tae?” He stops walking and looks deep into Bekah’s hazel eyes the light hitting just right that the gold flecks dance.

“I’m the lucky one Beks. Something drew me to you in those tunnels like a magnet.” Jon whispers and places his forehead on Bekah’s. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I had to know more about you. Every time we were together I fell a little more for you. I counted down the weeks and months until the next time we could find our way back to each other.” Jon holds Bekah’s hips and she turns her head to take in his expression.

“Me too, Tae. What’s this about? You okay?” She removes her hand from her pocket and runs her thumb over his cheek. Jon places his hand over hers and breaths in deep.

“I’m more than okay. I love you Beks. I’ll love you forever if you let me. Always will. I, uh, I asked your dad a question in Chicago when they were there for Christmas.” Jon moves from their close embrace and drops to one knee. Bekah brings her hand right hand over her mouth since Jon hadn’t let go of her left.

“Are you... Tae?” Bekah whispers through her fingers and Jon looks up at her with all the love they share and tears forming.

“Rebekah Marie Pierce, will you do me the honor and become my wife?” Jon pulls out a box from his pocket and opens it with his fingers. Bekah gasps. “Beks, will you marry me?” Jon gulps.

“Yes.” Bekah nods her head, a happy tear breaks free from her eye as she whispers. Jon jolts to his feet and pulls her body into his, kissing her deeply. He breaks away and takes the ring out of the box.

“May I?” He smiles down at her and she nods her head. Jon slips the ring on her finger and breathes out a sigh of relief.

“Tae, this ring is perfect.” Bekah wiggles her cold fingers taking in the spectacular ring. Round diamond set in a vintage style halo rose gold band.

“I created it just for you.” Jon huffs and Bekah looks up at him.

“Were you holding your breath?” She questions and kisses him tenderly.

“Yeah. I know we love each other but that proposal could go one or two ways. You freaking out on me or just saying yes because you know this love we have will last a lifetime.” Bekah giggles at Jon’s admission.

“Well Brynn and I did discuss it and she reminded me that we have been together for awhile even without naming it.” Jon dips down and kisses her. Bekah’s hands come up to cup his face.

“Damn, your hands are cold. Maybe I shouldn’t have stolen your gloves.” Jon laughs.

“You stole my gloves?” Bekah pulls her hands to her lips and blows on them.

“Well I was nervous and didn’t want to fumble and lose the ring. Plus you won’t need them after our appointment.” Jon looks at his watch.

“Appointment?” Bekah’s voice raises.

“We have pedicures and you have a manicure after lunch. Figured there will be some pictures and showing off of the ring at dinner tomorrow.” Jon pulls her hand to his lips and kisses it. “So where does my fiancée want to go for lunch? I didn’t plan that.”

“Fiancée... whelp. Yup. You are my fiancé aren’t ya?” Bekah feels her cheeks flood with heat.

“Yes, fiancée and soon my wife. I think Mrs. Toews might become my favorite name for you... for now.” Jon runs his cold thumb over Bekah’s warm cheek making her shutter. “So Beks, lunch?” He brushes his lips against hers and starts walking back towards their hotel. Bekah decided on the same tiny cafe she took Jon to in 2015. He of course remembered their conversation about mind blowing sex and couple’s laugher bounced off the walls once more.

“I’ve never had a pedicure with a man.” Bekah’s hand slides into Jon’s as they dip their feet in the water. Jon’s fingers spinning the engagement ring around her finger.

“We should do it more often back home. I enjoy them and they are good for me feet after being in skates so much.” Jon brings their joined hands up to his lips. “This ring looks perfect on you.” Jon whispers and Bekah nods. “Are we telling anyone today or waiting until your birthday dinner tomorrow?”

“Let’s wait. Surprise them all.” Bekah giggles. “Maybe FaceTime your parents in? David?”

“They know already. Mom has been hounding me thinking I was proposing on Christmas then she thought I’d do it at the Winter Classic but when I told her I wanted to propose where we met she got all excited and told me she cannot wait to have you officially in the family.”

“So that’s why she asked me if there was anything new going on at Christmas and I went on and on about the foundation stuff.” Jon laughs.

“I’m assuming she may have thought you didn’t want to wear the ring.” He spins it again.

“I don’t want to take it off ever!” Bekah smiles as the Jon finishes his pedicure and walks across the street to grab coffees while Bekah moves to her manicure.

“He looks familiar.” The girl doing her nails says while working.

“Oh really?” Bekah smiles sweetly.

“Yeah, I cannot place why but something about him. He from here?” She looks up and Bekah tries to hide her amusement.

“No, Canada actually.” This stops the line of question and Jon reenters to pay and the two head to the car.

“Where to now Beks?” Jon asks after starting the car.

“Hotel is good. Curious...” Bekah bites her lip and Jon’s foot hits the gas making them laugh.

“I thought we were exploring today?” Jon turns toward their hotel.

“Tomorrow. We need to celebrate.” Bekah scratches at the back of his neck.

Jon quickly found his way to the hotel and pins Bekah to the side of the car. “You know, after all this time I’m still not a posed to taking you right here. It’s no longer your home or where you work.” Jon bites at Bekah’s ear.

“Or you can take me upstairs and not get out of bed until noon tomorrow?” Bekah nibbles at his lips. Jon stands and interlaces his fingers in Bekah’s. They make their way into the lobby and here Jon’s name. Some guy in a White Sox hat nods and Bekah shoves her left hand in her pocket. After stopping for a picture the couple was off again. Jon barely had the door latched before his lips were pressed against Bekah’s and her back against the wall. His hands reach down to cup her ass the lift her up. Bekah’s arms wrapped tightly around his neck. They wasted no time disrobing. Jon hovering over Bekah with his hardened cock. Bekah lifts her hips to rub the tip on her click. She exhaled with the sensation then Jon pressed in. His rhythm intentional hitting every spot he knows would elicit filthy sounds from Bekah’s mouth.

“Come on Beks. I’m there. Come with me.” Jon lifts his body from her’s to change the angle. Bekah slides her finger between their bodies and rubs her clit. “Fuck that’s hot.” Jon presses hard into Bekah sending their orgasms crashing over them. “Fuck. Damn. Fuck.” Jon grunts out as Bekah moves her hand before he crashes into her. Rolling off his hand reaches right in the center of his v line.

“What are you doing?” Bekah questions with a deep breath.

“Checking for blood. I’m good!” Bekah props up and looks to where Jon’s hand was. Fresh scratches had turned his skin pink.

“Fuck. Tae. Did I do that? I’m sorry.” Her fingers tenderly touch the scratches.

“Technically self inflicted since I gave you the ring. Learning curve. Plus you’ve seen some of my injuries. A little scratch is nothing.” Jon pulls her body on top of his and kisses her sweetly. “Round two in a minute there future Mrs. Toews?”

“Rebekah Toews. That doesn’t sound horrible.” Bekah starts to laugh and Jon catches her lips.

“Sounds fucking amazing.” He kisses her again. “I’m so glad you said yes.” Jon kisses her again and roll their bodies for more.

The sun woke both Jon and Bekah up the next morning. The evening of celebrating evident on their tired faces. How about we have breakfast, go do something then nap before dinner?” Jon whispers into his fiancée’s hair.

“Sounds amazing Babe.” Bekah starts to move and Jon pulls her back into his chest.

“I know I keep saying it but I’m so glad you said yes.” Jon kisses her temple.

“I really worried you didn’t I?” Bekah looks up at him and he nods. “Well I’m sorry. I never want you to question that I love you.” Bekah’s heart bings.

“That’s not it, Beks, I know you love me but nine months together and four years is a big difference.”

“I know and I freaked out for most of those four years and looking back I wonder what would have happened if I just let it happen.” Bekah whispers.

“I wonder all the time what would have happened if I met you back in Chicago in my rookie year.” Jon admits.

“I would have never met Rin.” Bekah realizes and Jon opens his mouth then closes it. “Speaking of, we need to get going to do something touristy before dinner.” Bekah pulls Jon’s tired body out of bed and to the shower. The two made their way around Columbus. Jon decided he wanted to see things she loved growing up. Bekah took him by her schools, the playground a boy kissed her on when they were five, her grandparents’ house she spent every Christmas at until he passed and Grandma moved. Jon pictured Bekah in every step. Every piece that made her, her. Before they knew it they were sitting in front of Derek and Brynn’s house. Bekah’s parents car sitting in the drive way. The two looked at each other.

“Ready?” Jon asked.

“Ready!” Bekah answered popping out of the car and into his embrace. The couple walked through the door and Brynn was the first to catch the ring on Bekah’s finger.

“Is that.... eeeeeeekkkkkkk?!?!” Brynn squeals with delight and rushes her best friend. Jon nods at Jim and Marie comes over to gush over the ring.

“So when’s the wedding?” Bekah hears her Grandmother’s voice from the couch.

“We haven’t...” Bekah starts.

“I was hoping this summer.” Jon matter of factly states and looks over at Bekah’s stunned face.

“Oh that soon. Would there be a reason?” Bekah’s grandmother questions and all heads snap in her direction then at Bekah’s. She feels the heat rising in her cheeks and her mouth goes dry.

#what’s in a name fic #wian #jonathan toews fic #tazer me 19 #love a damn blackhawk 🤦🏻‍♀️#happens in the 2018 2019 season #j toews fic #jonathan toews

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path-of-my-childhood · 6 years ago

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Taylor Swift : "My Life Had Totally Gone Out Of Control"

By: Benjamin Locoge for Paris Match Date: June 15th 2019

She is the biggest pop star in the United States at the moment. And she is no longer afraid to engage politically.

"I did not forget that you came to see me in Nashville when I was still in country music and when few people were interested in me.”

Taylor Swift greets us with charm on Saturday, May 25th. For the past three years, the 29-year-old has broken all records in the music industry, from album sales, concert tickets to YouTube views. She's in Paris to talk about her new single, the first one from her upcoming album. But what she is most ready for is to tell her story and return to her exceptional career. With disarming simplicity.

"Me!", your new single, is a departure from the songs of your last album "reputation". Are you coming back to something more pop, more accessible? Absolutely. With this song, I wanted to give a glimpse into my new music. My previous album was a real departure in my career in terms of image and sound. I was in a different mood musically and personally. I am now coming back with something much more accessible so that my audience can understand this new direction.

What has happened in the last three years? "Reputation" was a dark and complicated record because I was going through a dark and complicated time. [She laughs.] I assure you, the next will be much brighter, even though it’s still emotionally complex. But I feel like I've been through a storm. So many inexplicable things happened in my life... I didn’t give interviews for three years just so that I didn’t have to answer questions about intimate things that I discussed in my songs. I was simply not able to do it at the time.

Why do you think that is? I have always written songs to express myself. The thing that has changed though is that there is now this frantic quest for more clicks on the Internet that results in words being taken out of context, misinterpreted and being repeated over and over. My life had totally gone out of control. The only way to regain control and stop it from spiraling out was to no longer appear in the tabloids and to shut up. And the only way to keep expressing myself was to do it only in songs. I was afraid that speaking to the media would end in headlines with three exclamation points... I wanted my life and my career to go in a different direction.

Yet since you started fifteen years ago, you have always had control over your career. For a long time, I did not know how to protect myself from paparazzi. Today, I know exactly how to go unnoticed, I have almost become like a secret agent who knows how to blend in the crowd. [She laughs]. But I never forgot who I am as a musician and a songwriter. If that is the only information the public has about me, that's fine. Whenever I’m photographed in certain clothes, or with my group of friends, or with a guy - I become an object of curiosity in a way that has nothing to do with my craft and profession. We live in a world where the number of clicks that you bring has become a measurement of popularity and fame. So, to draw interest only to my job, I had to only show what I do.

Do you think you are strategic? Absolutely. But even now, people don’t like to see women as business people or as being strategic. However, to build a career, you have to have at least some vision and ability to think long-term about what you are going to offer to the public. Otherwise, you can be swept away after couple of years. From my very first steps in music, I said that I wanted to do this job in fifteen years. I'm always here. I never gave up, even when I was tired, even when I was sick, I never canceled a concert.

Has this been at the expense of your privacy? I do sometimes wonder if I ever really existed outside of music. But when you think about it for a moment, where does the feeling of fulfillment come from? Social networks? I don’t think so. Newspaper headlines? Opinions about the clothes you wear? No. And if you're looking for some form of approval in all of these things, you'll soon be disappointed. I really do think I have managed to reconcile both, career and private life, despite all that we have just mentioned.

So where do you get that feeling of satisfaction? From my friends, people around me and from my family. I'm not an actress, I do not play serious roles that give me depth. I sing about the girl that I am, I express my emotions and tell my stories. I do not really distinguish between who I am in private and who I am as a person known to public. The only way to not go crazy is to not read all the articles about me. Not because I'm afraid of it, but simply to avoid questioning everything. A good article will make me think that my music is very much appreciated. But if a negative article comes out the next day, it will make me tremble. I do not need that anymore. I can instead spend a lot of time with my loved ones, those are the moments that the public doesn’t see. And it's nice to have those moments when no one talks about me. Because my life is the subject of so many comments...

Most of the articles about you usually talk about the records you keep breaking. That is very nice to hear. But I am very aware that what is happening is only a moment in my career. All of this will eventually slow down again. Have I reached my peak yet? I don't know. But that's what makes my job exciting. And if I only made music for the sake of numbers, I would probably be very unhappy.

Last year, you took a stand for the Democratic Party in the mid-term elections. Are you satisfied with the result? I was very happy to see how many of my fans responded. You know, politics is a world that did not interest me. We, the younger generation, need to be trained and educated on things as simple as "how to register to vote". I realized that our political system was very complex and that we needed to know it in order to make our voices heard. So, yes, I am delighted to have been able to get young people to vote for the first time.

You also spoke about some laws... Yes, because it is very important that the Equality Act [that’s currently being debated] is passed by the Congress and then by the Senate. These issues might be new to me, but as a citizen I believe these issues must be part of the public debate and supported by our administration.

Then, you are okay with being a voice of a new generation? Yes, of course. If my popularity allows me to bring attention to certain issues, it is my duty to do so. I did do it. And I am confident that I will continue to it. Because, frankly, the current political situation in the United States really seems to be going in the wrong direction...

After the attacks in Paris, Manchester and Las Vegas, you've talked about your fear of going on tour again. What made you decide to still do it? To give up is like handing a victory to the world of terrorism. And that is exactly what I did not want to do.

#translated #interview #this might be one of the best ones she's given #but I do have to admit it irks me just a little bit how reputation is being talked about #taylor swift #france #by taylor #may 25th 2019 #lover era #reputation era

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makistar2018 · 5 years ago

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Taylor Swift on "Lover" and haters

John D'Amelio August 25, 2019

You might say Taylor Swift's happy place is at the piano in her Nashville home. "There have been so many songs that were written at this piano," she said.

"And it's often the middle of the night?" asked correspondent Tracy Smith.

"It's usually in the middle of the night," she replied. "Or if I'm trying to get to sleep and I can't and then I get an idea. And I'm, like, 'Well, I'm not tired anyway!' And then kind of wander over here."

Taylor Swift at her piano, with correspondent Tracy Smith.

It's kind of a rare sight, not just because "Sunday Morning" was there ("I haven't serenaded someone in a while, hope you know that!"), but because, for the moment, Taylor Swift was actually sitting still.

I promise that you'll never find another like Me-e-e, Ooh ooh ooh ooh I'm the only one of me Baby, that's the fun of me – "Me!" by Taylor Swift, Joel Little and Brendon Urie

And there never really has been another like Taylor Swift. After only 13 years in the business, she's become a musical force of nature, with an armload of #1 hits, more Grammy Awards than The Rolling Stones, and (according to Forbes) the distinction of being the highest-paid celebrity on the planet.

By any measure, she's an amazing young woman. But there were times, she says, that being young, and a woman, worked against her.

"You're always gonna have people going, 'Did she write all her own songs?'" she said. "Talking about your personal life, talking about your dating life.

"There's a different vocabulary for men and women in the music industry, right?"

"Gimme an example," asked correspondent Tracy Smith.

"Okay. A man does something, it's 'strategic'; a woman does the same thing, it's 'calculated.' A man is allowed to 'react'; a woman can only 'over-react.'"

And it seems her usual reaction is to get to work. Swift writes or co-writes all of her songs. And what's more, her music videos are all her vision, from the pastel wonderland in "Me!":

youtube

…to the giant dollhouse in her latest video, "Lover."

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That's also the title of her critically-acclaimed new studio album, her seventh. She wrote "Lover" on her piano at home, and polished it up in the studio. And once she recorded the music, Swift (accompanied by and her cats) went to Hollywood to make the music video, and she invited Smith along to watch.

There's a love story here, and like a lot of Swift's work, it's an echo of her real life.

Born in Reading, Pennsylvania, Swift discovered her love for music as a toddler. She set her sights on a career in country music, and eventually her parents and younger brother moved to Nashville to help her do it.

"My brother's a real bro for doing that," Swift said.

"Yeah, they all upended their lives," Smith said.

"For sure."

"It worked out well!"

"Yeah, I buy 'em lots of presents," she laughed.

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The rest reads like a fantasy: Swift became a country music phenomenon, and, in the last few years, a pop icon. But the superstar is, by her own admission, as emotionally fragile as any other 20-something, "I'm still someone who is the first to apologize when I'm wrong," she said. "But I think I'm better at standing up for myself when I've been wronged. So, that's something that I think also comes with growing up."

Which brings us to Scooter Braun. Earlier this summer, Braun, a talent agent with whom Swift says she has a contentious relationship, acquired the rights to her previous recordings – her masters – when his company bought Scott Borchetta's Big Machine Label Group for a reported $300 million. Borchetta, who worked with Swift for years, says she and those close to her (including her dad, who was an investor), knew about the deal in advance, and that Swift had previously been offered the chance to buy her own masters.

She remembers it differently, and told Smith she didn't see it coming: "I found out when it was online, like, when it hit the news."

"Nobody in your inner circle knew?" Smith asked.,

"Nobody knew."

"And you didn't smell it?"

"No. I knew he would sell my music; I knew he would do that. I couldn't believe who he sold it to, because we've had endless conversations about Scooter Braun. And he has 300 million reasons to conveniently forget those conversations."

With the sale of the masters to her first six albums, there has been speculation that Swift might re-record her back catalog, in order to control the recordings of her songs.

Smith asked, "Might you do that?"

"Oh, yeah," Swift replied.

"That's a plan?"

"Yeah, absolutely!"

Scooter Braun may not agree with her side of the story, but he did reach out to Swift in a tweet last week, calling her new album "brilliant."

It's clear that Swift wants to control her music: When it's time to release one of her new songs, she does it personally, talking to her fans live on Instagram. This personal connection has earned her a loyal following. But her openness comes at price: She's followed just about everywhere she goes these days, by people who are crazy about her – or just plain crazy.

Smith asked, "Where is home for you now?"

"It's a very good question," she said. "I try not to ever really say where I am the most, because since all my addresses are on the internet, people tend to show up uninvited. Like, you know, dudes that think we have an imaginary marriage."

"And you mentioned that you keep wound dressing with you?"

"Yeah. I've had a lot of stalkers show up to the house, armed. So, we have to think that way."

And she's come under attack in other ways: You need only glance at the tabloids to see some very well-publicized feuds, and she often hits back at her haters through her music. For instance, in "You Need to Calm Down," she calls out anti-gay protesters and online trolls:

You are somebody that we don't know But you're comin' at my friends like a missile Why are you mad? When you could be GLAAD? Sunshine on the street at the parade But you would rather be in the dark ages …

Control your urges to scream about all the people you hate 'Cause shade never made anybody less gay – "You Need to Calm Down" by Taylor Swift and Joel Little

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Smith asked, "I'm curious, because I feel like almost every album, you have a song where you address the haters, at least one song. Sometimes more than one song."

"I probably do have that habit. I imagine that I might have that habit, yeah."

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"Why is that? Why sing to the haters?"

"Well, when they stop coming for me, I will stop singing to them," Swift replied. "You know, people go on and on about, like, you have to forgive and forget to move past something. No, you don't. You don't have to forgive and you don't have to forget to move on. You can move on without any of those things happening. You just become indifferent, and then you move on."

"Do you believe in forgiveness?"

"Yes, absolutely, like, for people that are important in your life who have added, you know, who have enriched your life and made it better, and also there has been some struggle and some bad stuff, too. But I think that, you know, if something's toxic and it's only ever really been that, what are you gonna do?"

"Just move on?"

"Just move on. It's fine."

Taylor Swift's music is always personal, sometimes intensely so. "There's one song on the album called 'Soon You'll Get Better' that it's, I can't even really hear. I can't even listen to it."

She won't talk specifically about her inspiration, but it comes at a time when her mother Andrea, who was battling cancer, suffered a relapse.

Swift said, "It's really interesting because I don't think I have written a song quite like that before. And it's just sort of, like, it's just a tough one."

"I can imagine. But I can also tell you, having listened to it, that it's universal."

"It's just not something that we deal with until we have to, until we see it, until we experience it, until someone close to us is going through something like that. And so, writing about it was really emotional. And I'm just gonna stop talking about it now."

She's more comfortable plunging into her work. On the Hollywood set, a large glass tank will become a symbolic fish bowl in the "Lover" music video.

Taylor Swift filming the fish bowl sequence from her music video "Lover." CBS NEWS

"I very oftentimes remark that my life is like a fish bowl, and that, like, if I were to, like, fall in love, you know, somebody's choosing to be in that fish bowl with me. To jump into the fish bowl with me and live in that world just with me – it's not as depressing as it sounds, I promise! It's just symbolic!"

Talk about fish bowls: she's been dating British actor Joe Alwyn for three years. Seems he's up for a swim.

At the moment, Swift is, well, fully immersed in today. Beyond that, she says she doesn't know … and doesn't really want to.

Smith asked her, "Do you think about, you know, 'What am I gonna do in 20, 30 years?'"

"No, 'cause that puts me into what I call a panic spiral," Swift replied. "Like, I cannot do that. I've never been able to do that."

Why? "It just freaks me out. When I zoom out too far, I freak out. Do I know where I'm gonna be or even wanna be in 20 years? Absolutely not. Like, not taking a single day for granted."

"So, how far ahead do you look?"

"Six months. Just 'cause I have to plan shows and stuff. But I don't know what I'll do after this album. And I think that's great. I tell myself, like, it's actually really ungrateful to just assume that you have 20 years. Like, be stoked that you have today."

CBS News

#taylor swift #sunday morning #cbs #interview #ts7 #lover #2019.08.25

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cinemavariety · 6 years ago

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The Director’s Series: Harmony Korine

The director series will consist of me concentrating on the filmography of all my favorite directors. I will rank each of their films according to my personal taste. I hope this project will provide everyone with quality recommendations and insight into films that they might not have known about. Today’s director in spotlight is Harmony Korine #6 - Trash Humpers (2009) Runtime: 1 hr 18 min Aspect Ratio: 1.78 : 1

Follows the lives of a small group of sociopathic elderly people in Nashville, Tennessee. Verdict: The least accessible of Korine’s work that tests the patience of even the most devoted of Korine’s fans. A truly nightmarish exercise in utter depravity.

#5 - Gummo (1997) Rutime: 1 hr 29 min Aspect Ratio: 1.85 : 1 Film Format: 35 mm

Solomon and Tummler are two teenagers killing time in Xenia, Ohio, a small town that has never recovered from the tornado that ravaged the community in the 1970s.

Verdict: A delightfully dirty introduction to Korine’s twisted mind. Korine writes and directs his feature debut in such a way that you feel like you need a bath afterward. It shows signs of promise for Korine’s future but isn’t his strongest work.

#4 - The Beach Bum (2019) Runtime: 1 hr 35 min Aspect Ratio: 2.39 : 1 Film Format: 35 mm

An irreverent comedy about the misadventures of Moondog, a rebellious stoner and lovable rogue who lives large.

Verdict: Korine’s funniest and most audience-friendly film. It also happens to be the easiest of his films to watch in terms of sheer entertainment. He grows as a writer in this film by creating a variety of otherworldly, seedy characters. It’s the most fun I’ve had at the movies in a long time.

#3 - Julien Donkey Boy (1999) Runtime: 1 hr 34 min Aspect Ratio: 1.85 : 1 Film Format: 35 mm

A portrait of the effects of schizophrenia on family life is the central focus.

Verdict: A haunting and slightly heartbreaking addition to Korine’s oeuvre. Also one of the very best of the films that came out of the Dogme 95 manifesto. Julien Donkey Boy is a dizzying journey into the dark recesses of a mentally damaged subconscious that never lets up.

#2 - Mister Lonely (2007) Runtime: 1 hr 52 min Aspect Ratio: 2.35 : 1 Film Format: 35 mm

In Paris, a young American who works as a Michael Jackson lookalike meets Marilyn Monroe, who invites him to her commune in Scotland, where she lives with Charlie Chaplin and her daughter, Shirley Temple.

Verdict: The most sentimental and humanistic film that Korine has ever released. It’s a tale of identity crisis mixed with the aching pangs of existential loneliness. A group of outcasts that commune together and find a sense of family that the outside world failed to provide. A completely endearing film that I find to be just about perfect.

#1 - Spring Breakers (2012) Runtime: 1 hr 34 min Aspect Ratio: 2.35 : 1 Film Format: 35 mm

After four college girls rob a restaurant to fund their spring break in Florida, they get entangled with a weird dude with his own criminal agenda.

Verdict: A psychedelic fever dream of hedonism and excess. It serves as a satirical tale of youth gone unchecked that is completely transfixing in its dreamy, drug fueled aesthetic. The color palette is unlike anything I’ve yet to see in modern cinema (sans Only God Forgives). This film literally has Disney stars snorting cocaine, having orgies and murdering gangsters. And let’s not forget the home invasion montage set to Britney Spears “Everytime”. This film is a misunderstood masterpiece destined for its spot as a cult classic.

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thesimplyluxuriouslife · 5 years ago

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279: 15 Life Lessons Learned during my First Year into my 40s

True contentedness is unremarkable to the outside world, or passerby.

Typing away in my cozy chair in the living room in my line of sight Norman eats his breakfast and Oscar acknowledging he will not be able to sneak a bite, takes a long cool drink of water. The croissant for my Sunday morning ritual is proofing in the oven and Sunday Baroque's weekly program fills my home.

Even having lost an hour of the day, I have decided to wake up with the sunset and use the dawn-filled hour to work early before we are able to go for our morning stroll in the woods. All is well, and so much surrounds me for which to be grateful.

I began the morning reading Maria Shriver's weekly email newsletter, and in particular this morning's letter resonated with me, and most likely would you as well as a reader of TSLL. I've included an excerpt below as she describes a moment in which she felt, albeit unexpectedly, truly and sincerely content.

"Over the last few years, I’ve settled into myself. I’ve focused more on my blessings and what I’m doing well rather than my shortcomings and what needs to be adjusted (something I highly recommend). As a result, everything in my mind has calmed down, and therefore my body has calmed down, too. Today, my life finally feels centered, grounded, and solid. I feel like I’ve found my space and my place.

It was one of those profoundly simple, yet headshaking, moments of self-realization that no one ever really talks about. Sure, there are still things in life that give me anxiety (the coronavirus, the election, and Mother Nature as our neighbors in Nashville know all too well). But, through it all, I’ve been able to find my inner fortitude and soothe myself, something I’ve struggled with my entire life.

The truth is I never expected that the peace, joy or success that I chased my whole life would come to me when I was sitting alone, drinking coffee on my porch. I thought I was supposed to find that while giving speeches, accepting awards, and galvanizing change. That’s what our culture teaches us. It’s what infused into our beings at a very young age."

I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that on this International Women’s Day, I’m a woman on my own path. I’m living my one wild, precious, joyful and meaningful life. In the end, my friends, that’s what galvanizes true change. Watching, witnessing and being in community with people who are following their authentic paths is what changes the world one breath at a time. I thought of that every time I washed my hands this week and it made me smile.

So, follow your heart personally, professionally, and politically. Because, when you do, you will discover the feeling I felt the other morning. You will find yourself saying to no one in particular, “Wow, I’m good just the way I am.” —Maria Shriver in her 3/8/2020 letter from the editor of The Sunday Paper newsletter

I realize the excerpt above was long, but hopefully, as it did me, it reassured as to what living well truly is. It's simple and intentional. It's internal and individual. It is purpose driven and intangible. It is also experiential and tactile. It requires of us to be present to be engaged with our world acknowledging much needs us to let go, but so too must we stay involved and aware. It is the daily practice of elevating our daily life by how we walk and open our eyes and minds to all that is around us and that is possible.

Each year when my birthday rolls around, here on the blog, I share a reflection of some sort of life lessons, aha moments and discoveries about the world found along my journey. To share, as well, admittedly, as a way to preserve my own growth, my hope is to prompt introspection amongst readers as sometimes, maybe even often, we do not realize all ways in which we have grown as it can sometimes be hard to see when we are the ones walking through the world each day.

I have yet to share my life lessons for my 41st birthday which fell during the final week of February, so I wanted to take today's episode/post to reflect.

1.Dreams, hopes, wishes can indeed materialize so long as we never let them go, we keep making small, yet steady progress, and keep refusing to not believe it can happen.

2. Clear, respectful, honest communication is to be treasured and a necessary ingredient for healthy relationship of all types.

3. Setting personal boundaries is a reflection of your recognition of your innate self-worth which will cause your self-esteem to grow.

4. Giving yourself closure on the past is healthy and necessary for being able to fully move forward. Your closure need not make sense to anyone else but yourself, but give yourself this gift of freedom.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2aF0dpArA7/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

5. Some friends, family and/or colleagues may not be able to travel with you into your next life chapter as you choose to grow and evolve or your life simply asks of you to travel a different way or in a different way. Letting go need not be dramatic or radical or even known, but rather a natural going about life's path perhaps to meet again at some other time or maybe not. And that is okay and healthy as it shows awareness of the social support that you need to be well.

6. Give yourself permission to be excited about your life journey, your everyday moments and just be giddy. Let your endorphins soar naturally and see your daily life experience improve as well.

7. Say yes to opportunities that cross your path but out of schedule with when you had hoped they might arrive. My trip to Paris and Normandy was not expected nor planned. In fact, I had told myself I would take at least a year off before returning to Paris since my trip in 2018; however, when an invitation arrived to return in 2019, I had to say yes, and all that I learned, experienced, savored and learned some more was more than evidence that I made the right decision.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BzbTLLVg2zl/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

8. Less truly can bring more into your life. The unexpected discovery of my now home and sanctuary which is half the size of the home I owned previously is precisely what I instinctively knew I needed to live well. Less to decorate, but what I choose can be investments that will last. Less to clean, so I have more time to explore and create on the weekends, a perfectly medium size yard and petite garden, but exactly what I enjoy to have Mother Nature at my fingertips without a requirement of more time than I can give.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B5qY6P5giC9/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

9. Mother Nature, moving my feet in Mother Nature, is my creative muse and her gifts are priceless. While I walk nearly everyday outside on the trails in Bend or near the river that runs through Bend, even walking in San Francisco when I needed to get outside, I did so and saw the famed parrots of the Telescope Hill, and oh what a delight. Inspiration is everywhere when we step out into the fresh air.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B5gCmyiAqRb/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

10. My dogs have been for the past 15 years and are my companions in this journey of my life as they let me be "Shannon", provide company as well as freedom, yet keep me grounded as well. Savoring every moment with my two elder gentlemen.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B6y1EUage_B/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

11. Cooking, creating in the kitchen, is to play and forever be learning and savoring everyday moments.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2r3OEjApER/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

12. Love really does live on inside you even after someone dearly loved passes away.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4nBcJVgAj_/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

13. Host that dinner party you've been wanting to have. You may just bring beautiful moments and new connections to your guests that they will appreciate more than you will ever know. (read: 10 Ideas Gleaned & Confirmed from my Last Dinner Party, and be sure to check out my first book for details and a menus for hosting a successful gathering.)

https://www.instagram.com/p/By08-OWAsos/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

14. Traveling with my mom created memories of getting to know each other as where we are now in our lives and wonderful shared experiences that I will never forget. Check out our trip to San Francisco. We also had the opportunity to go to Oregon's Garden which exceeded my expectations and opened my eyes even further to my mom's love and knowledge of "green-thumb" life.

https://www.instagram.com/p/By4ciypgFcu/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

https://www.instagram.com/p/BxVse9XA71H/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

15. Continue to follow your heart, its inklings, its tugs, its curiosities, and you will never be led astray. Even when it doesn't make sense to you, even when you do not have a model to forge the path before you traverse it, your insurance is that it is your heart leading the way. I am reminded of Julia Child's quote which she expressed on the penultimate and onto the final page of her memoir My Life in France.

"In Paris in the 1950s, I had the supreme good fortune to study with a remarkably able group of chefs. From them I learned why good French food is an art, and why it makes such sublime eating: nothing is too much trouble if it turns out the way it should. Good results require that one take time and care. If one doesn't use the freshest ingredients or read the whole recipe before starting, and if one rushes through the cooking, the result will be an inferior taste and texture . . . But a careful approach will result in a magnificent burst of flavor, a thoroughly satisfying meal, perhaps even a life-changing experience." —Julia Child

While Julia is directly speaking of her experience in the culinary world of Paris, she indirectly and perhaps most significantly speaks to how to live life well. Invest, have patience, do your homework, and trust the co-mingling of those who know more than you about topics which you love as well as your own passions and curiosities. Beautiful art, the art of life, your life, can materialize in its own time and in its own unique way.

May this birthday year offer insightful and inspired life lessons that elevate the quality of your everyday life even more and bring you all the more contentment, true contentment that you desire.

Petit Plaisir

~Dishing with Julia Child

~A Year in Flowers: Designing Gorgeous Arrangements for Every Season by Erin Benzakein

Tune in to the latest episode of The Simple Sophisticate podcast

#tsllpodcast thesimplesophisticate

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moc-alexcross · 6 years ago

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Castle on the Hill || Chex

Tagging: Chloe Lynn & Alex Cross Where: Linlithgow, Scotland - UK When: March 12th, 2019 Notes: Chloe and Alex have a picnic in front of a fireplace and take the time to talk and get to know each other.

Chloe

"Oh God. I still can't believe we're actually here. In a castle!" Chloe said as she her hand was on a stone ledge and she peered out the clear glass which overlooked the front. "This is surreal. Wonderfully surreal." She looked back to Alex with a smile before turning to lean agains the ledge. "And this picnic in front of a fireplace spread is such a romantic idea." Chloe had to admit this really was nice, even when she felt nervous about everything to come.

Alex

"I'm glad you like it this much." A soft smile tugged at the corner of Alex's mouth as he looked back at her. Chloe's enthusiasm for the small castle made the trip to Scotland more than worth it. I have my moments," he winked playfully. He placed another log on the fire and got back to his feet, moving to where the picnic was set up. "It's not always you get to have an inside picnic in a castle after all."

Chloe

“It’s really not. And to think we can come back here whenever we want.” Chloe went to where everything was set and sat down. Her long skirt smoothed over her legs after she tucked them to the side. “It’s wild,” she picked up a cracker and held it. “We’ve been in this whirlwind of trying to make sure we can make a wedding happen in the time given that we haven’t had any time to ourselves.”

Alex

Alex gave a short nod with his head, agreeing with Chloe. "How about we forget we have a wedding to plan and take some time for us," he suggested as he sat down.

Chloe

The cracker broke in half and Chloe eat the smaller piece first. “That’s a good idea.” She spoke around the bite. “How about you tell me about your family? Have they always lived in Lima?”

Alex

"Not always, my parents moved to Lima when I was a few months old, before that they lived in Nashville. Mom's family still lives around there and well," Alex reached for the bottle of wine, "my dad's family is from around here." He poured both of them a glass. "What about your parents?"

March 14, 2019

Chloe

“Have you ever thought of moving here?” Chloe finally ate the rest of the cracker and decided to get another but to add meat and cheese to it. “My dad and mom are from here. Our family has been here for a long time and we would be considered one of the elders but our wealth didn’t come in until my dad and some people think the money isn’t the same because it’s all tied up with sex.” She laughed. “Didn’t mean to say tied up but it works.”

Alex

"No, not even when my relationship with my parents where strained." Alex placed the bottle back and picked up a cracker. He chuckled. "Yeah, it works... people are far too close-minded at times. Want to bet that at least half the members of the higher counsel either been to one of your dad's clubs or bought a toy in one of your family's stores?" He put some cheese on his cracker and took a bite.

Chloe

This caused her to look at him with a small frown. “It’s strained?” Chloe is the type of person who was really close to her parents. They were practically best friends. “Oh. I will love to bet on that. Probably own most of the porns, too.” She watched him eat and set down her cracker and went to drink the water he poured. “Have you been to one of the stores?”(edited)

Alex

"Yeah, it was. They never approved of Melanie, in their eyes she was from the wrong side of town, came from a wrong social standing. So needless to say they weren't too pleased about my intentions to marry her," he explained," he explained, "It took years before they finally came around, and we got close again." He sighed. He loved his parents, and he knew that without their help after Mel's death he'd probably still be a mess, so he was grateful to have them back in his life again. He glanced up. "Can't say I have, but I did visit the online store ones or twice."

Chloe

"Ugh!" Chloe said as she put her glass down and moved to sit more in front of him. "Parents are always trying to get involved with how they feel about the people you're seeing. I had that with Marcus which I think is why all of the stuff was so fucked up with me in the first place. They put him with Quinn Fabray because of how powerful and respected the Fabrays are. I'm sure of it because that's just how Richard Jones is." Chloe rarely spoke badly about people, not unless it was warranted. "How long ago did Melanie die?" She didn't know how to asked this question but she wanted to know. "I helped with that site. It was fun."

Alex

Alex gave a small smile as she moved. "Did you and Marcus date before the couples got matched?" his eyes narrowed at the mention of Richard Jones, ever since the man's reply to his question he liked the man even less than before. "I can see him do that. Mess with his own son's happiness to better the Jones name. That man truly only cares about wealth, social standing and that people obey that fucked up wedding law." He reached for his glass, taking a sip. "Almost ten months ago. Though at times it feels like yesterday." Talking about Mel was painful, still, but Chloe had a right to know these things. "Really? In that case, my compliments. You are full of surprises aren't you?"

Chloe

She nodded. "Off and on for a long time. We broke up before I left for Italy. When I came back I saw he and Quinn were matched. We wanted to have a final goodbye, with us being together again, and it got out and I know it fucked this up with him and Quinn. Which I feel terrible about because I do want him to have an easy marriage with her." Chloe sighed out and laid a hand the blanket and looked at the fire. "Ten months is still so fresh. And then you found out you were matched to Laura not too far from that. You haven't even had a chance to fully grieve." Chloe looked back at him, still with that small frown of hers. "I like to think I am. Always keep myself doing something."

Alex

Alex listened while she talked. "That must have been quite the shock to get home too." He looked at her. "Hey, I get you feel terrible about it but you're not the only one who screwed it up, Marcus did too. Did you guys tell Quinn that, that it was a final goodbye?" He didn't know what else to say or ask about it. "I hope they can work things through and come to an understanding. He nodded and reached for a fork, so he had something to do with his hand. "It probably sounds strange but being matched with Laura, it helped so much in getting my life back on track. I was a mess right after Mel died," he looked down, "Knowing that Faith's birthday is coming up soon; it brings it back." He tipped his head as he looked at her, seeing that small frown. "I'm fine. Or as okay as one can be. I got my good days and every now and then I've got a bad one," he assured her. "It's good to keep busy, doing different things. Do you have any other plans aside from opening your own club?

Chloe

This wasn’t Chloe’s proudest moment and she shook her head. “We kept it to ourselves but the gossip blog had someone mention us disappearing and it spiraled. Quinn was told after it was found out which made it one thousand times worse.” As soon as she let that settle she added, “But know I’m not going to do that to you. I’m committed to this marriage and to you. I don’t want you to think I’ll get with Marcus again.” This pained her but she meant it. “That makes me happy Laura was able to help. I’m sorry she’s not the one you’re marrying because she was there for you in a way that helped and you two were hot together. And I bet Faith adored the hell out of her.” Chloe said as she reached over and touched his hand. “If you ever need a distraction or want me to take Faith for awhile when you’re having one of those bad days, let me know. I want to be there for you. And yes. I do. I’m expanding the studio so I can add an actual stage for shows.”

Alex

"Things always turn ugly the second a gossip blog picks up on a story, doesn't it?" It was one of the reasons Alex choose to live in Columbus for so long; there he was just Alex, in Lima, he always felt that he was Alexander Cross, the oldest child off while growing up. "I honestly hope they can work things out between them. Are you on speaking terms with Quinn at all these days? He nodded. He could feel the honesty in her words. "That's good to know. And I am too, committed to this marriage and you that is." An honest laugh fell from his lips. "We were hot together? That's," he chuckled as a twinkle reached his eyes, "that's quite the compliment? Yeah, she did." He turned his hand under her touch, giving hers a soft squeeze. "I will," he promised. He leaned into her space, his dimples showing as he smiled softly. "Enough sad talk, which by the way, thank you for listening. Now tell me about all about this plan of you to expand the studio with a stage. What brought that on?"

Chloe

“It really does! And I usually let those things not bother me but it fucked things up for Mar and I just got so angry. It wasn’t anyone’s business to know!” Chloe hated how it felt that Quinn hasn’t moved past that, with her not spending much time with Marcus or making plans for their future. “Quinn and I never talked in the first place. She’s one of those who thinks I don’t belong because of where our money comes from. She’s been vocal about it. But fuck her, you know. I refuse to let people like her get under my skin. If she wants to be ugly and judgmental that’s on her. Not me.” Chloe’s fingers pressed between Alex’s and she brought her other hand over to move her fingertip across the skin of his fingers as she looked down at them. “It’s the truth. Both of you were sexy. I really liked Laura. She’s one of those rare honest people in Lima. Just wish she was still around.” Her fingers went to his ring finger and she added, “I should get you a ring but maybe wait until we get married? It isn’t like we have a long time until we’re back here and committing to each other. Hopefully for more than the required three years. I’m just that type of person who sees marriage as sacred and not some contract. Even when it technically is. But it’s more along the lines of fate. That this is the world we live in for a reason. That good and bad things happen and things play out in life and that we just go for it.” Chloe looked back up at him with a small smile after she spoke. “And do you really want me to get into studio talk? I can talk your ear off about it.”

Alex

"All you can do is be there for Marcus, be his friend and help him get through those three years. And indeed, fuck her and everybody who's that judgemental," he agreed. "She's not worth having high blood pressure over." He smiled, looking down at their joined hands. "That was one of the things I liked about her; she was honest. And from what I see from you so far, you got that same quality. Plus you're also hot and sexy," he added playfully, softly tugging her hand, wordlessly asking her to move closer. He smiled. "You want to put on a ring on me? I thought that was my job." As much as he tried, he couldn't stop smiling when she mentioned that she saw marriage as something sacred. "I feel the same. And that's what I want for us, a real marriage." He chuckled. "Well, it's either letting you talk about the studio because I know how much it means to you or finally give in to this almost overwhelming desire to kiss you..."

Chloe

The more he talked the more Chloe smiled because ever since they started to talk, before they were arranged, she felt they got each other. There was no raised eyebrow or questioning her point of view. “Aww. I know I’m both those things but it makes me happy to hear you say it. Also I think men who wear rings are super sexy and maybe I want to do something different.” She winked at him and went ahead and took his tug as her cue to move and get in his lap. Chloe moved carefully over to him and sat sideways, draping her arm around him. “Sorry. I like to make myself comfy. You can always push me off if I’m being too forward.” She joked with a laugh. Her hand went to his chest and Chloe’s eyes settled on his once again. “I’ve wanted you to kiss me for such a long time. Even before we were matched.” She admitted while her fingers walked up his chest until the palm settled on his shoulder.

Alex

"I'm all for doing things differently," Alex mentioned as she sat in his lap. He chuckled at her joke as he let his hand slide along her back, resting it on her hip to keep her close. "Is that so? Since before we were matched," he repeated, slowly leaning down to close the distance between their lips. "Let's end that waiting right now," he smiled as he brushed his lips over hers.

#para:004 #p:chloe

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boombangrian · 6 years ago

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Date Night || Remi

With: Demi | @lovato-demid Where: Nashville, Tennessee When: 01/11, 2019

This was done over FB messenger. Demi's parts are italic & with a blog quote, Rian's are not. (Alex shows up in some of Rian’s replies.)

Demi walked into the bedroom with a bag of popcorn, and jumped up onto the bed. "Want some?" she asked, holding the bag out to Rian. She was in a pair of booty shorts and an oversized t-shirt, sitting cross legged on the bed. "What do you want to do tonight?"

Rian was laying on his bed, phone in hand and texting Jack who was trying to talk him into sending Alex off to LA for some partying. When Demi jumped on the bed, he almost dropped his phone into his face, and just managed to catch it before it hit him. After putting the phone down, he sat up. "We could go out. Grab some food, go bowling or something," he said with a shrug.

"Oo...I haven't been bowling in years." she said, shoving some popcorn in her mouth. "You might have to remind me how to bowl, but I'm totally in." She gave him a big smile and threw some popcorn at him. "We should get dessert after bowling. It'll be like a real date." she teased.

Rian reached over to pick up some popcorn. "I can teach you how to bowl," he said with a wink, a chuckle leaving his lips as he popped some of the popcorn in his mouth to eat. "Hey," he protested when she threw some popcorn at him. "What are you saying, that I never took you on a real date?" he questioned, smirking lightly. "Guess I've got some making up to do."

She smirked and raised an eyebrow at him. "Is it gonna be like teaching somone to play pool? I mean, if you're not going to try to make a cheesy move on me, then I'm not sure I want to go." She took another handfull of popcorn and while shoving it in her mouth, some fell down her shirt into her bra. "Shit." she laughed, looking down her shirt to see if she could find it. "Are you saying that we /have/ been on a real date? Cuz I have no recolection of that." she laughed, still digging for the popcorn.

"It's probably not quite like teaching pool, but I'm definitely gonna try to make a cheesy move on you," Rian laughed. He watched her trying to get the popcorn from where it fell into her bra and a smirk formed on his lips. "I mean… no. Actually we haven't which just means this has gotta be the greatest fucking date ever, and that's just putting a lot of pressure on me." Rian laughed, raising an eyebrow. "Need any help, babe?"

"Okay good." she laughed. "Fuck, where did it go?" she asked as she looked down her shirt. "Baby, just being out with you already makes it the greatest fucking date ever." she told him. "Ugh..." she sat up on her knees and grabbed the bottom of her bra, shaking it until the popcorn fell out. "Nope." she said with a cheesy grin. "The name of the game is I WIN!" she laughed.

"You're just saying that," he chuckled. Watching Demi trying to get the popcorn out was hilarious, and Rian laughed as he finally saw the piece fall out. As she kneeled on the bed, he reached for some more popcorn and smirked as he threw some of it at his girlfriend, aiming for her cleavage. He laughed when the popcorn fell down her shirt and he threw his arms up in a cheer. "You mean I WIN?"

"I would never." she smirked. She sat back down just as Rian threw more popcorn at her. "You fucker." she laugh, reaching over and smacking his leg. She stood on her knees again and shook her bra. "Do that again and I'm taking the bra off." she told him.

"Babe," Rian said, lifting his hand with more popcorn in it. "You realize that threatening me to take your bra off isn't going to make me stop, right?" He winked at her before throwing another piece of popcorn.

"Oh shit." she smirked, not realizing what she had said. She tucked herself forward and another piece of popcorn flew towards her. "Ha! You missed!"

As Demi moved out of the way, Rian threw more popcorn, laughing as reached for more of the food. Within a few seconds most of the popcorn was spread out on the bed, but when Rian managed to get a piece of it into Demi's shirt again, he cheered. "Ha!"

"You fucktard." she laughed. She reached behind her back and unhooked her bra, pulled her arms out of the straps, then reached down the top of her shirt and pulled her bra out. "There, no more popcorn, scratching and sticking to my tits." she laughed. She threw her bra at him where it landed on his head. "Score one for me." she smirked, grabbing a piece of popcorn from the bed and putting it into her mouth.

"Told you I was gonna do it!" Rian laughed, eyes focused on her when she took off the bra and a smirk playing on his lips as she threw it at him. He pulled it off his head and tossed it aside, before shifting, crawling over towards her and pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. "c'mon, let's clean this up and then get ready to bowl, yeah?"

"You're such a brat." she laughed. "We wouldn't have anything to clean up if you hasn't started throwing popcorn at me." she smirked. She started picking up popcorn, eating the pieces as she cleaned. "I should probably get dressed to go bowling, right?"

Rian playfully rolled his eyes. "Technically, you started throwing popcorn. And then dropped half of it into your shirt, it's not my fault you tempted me," he smirked as he picked up more popcorn. "Don't we have dogs in this house that can eat this up? Would be so much easier to have them clean up this mess," Rian laughed. "C'mon." He ushered Demi off the bed and lifted the covers so the remaining popcorn fell to the floor and once he had called for the dogs, he heard three sets of paws running through the hall and towards the bedroom. Putting the covers back on the bed, Rian walked over to Demi with a grin. "See, much easier." His eyes wandered over her body and another chuckle left his lips. "Now, changing would probably be a good idea. Unless you just wanna wear this outside and catch a cold, who am I to tell you what to wear?"

"I tosed a few pieces, and I didn't drop half of it down my shirt." she pouted. "That's a waste of good popcorn." she told him, but helped him lift the covers off the bed and watched as the popcorn fell to the floor like snow. She jumped back onto the bed as the dogs came bounding into the bedroom. "It's like a stampede." she laughed. The popcorn was gone in a matter of seconds, and all three dogs looked up at them as if expecting there to be more. "Yeah, I'm not about freezing my ass off, sorry." she laughed. "Why don't you go get these three t-r-e-a-ts while I change quick?"

"Let the dogs have a bit of popcorn!" Rian laughed as he watched the pups eat up all the pieces of popcorn on the floor. "Geez, you look like you never get any food." The drummer climbed off the bed and left the bedroom, followed by the dogs to get them treats. "This is the last bite of food you get for today. That was a whole lot of popcorn for three small dogs like you," he explained, causing Alex to look at him with a frown. "Demi can't eat popcorn, so the bed was covered with it... the dogs just helped out with cleaning that mess up," he explained to his best friend. "Think you'll be good hanging round here with the dogs? Demi and I are gonna go bowling." Alex nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine. You two have fun."

Demi overheard Rian from the bedroom. She popped her head out of the door and hollared down the hallway. "Don't listen to him! I can totally eat popcorn when it's not being thrown in a sad attempt to get it down my shirt." she laughed before going back into the bedroom and changing quick. After changing into a pair of jeans, and a black low cut t-shirt, Demi grabbed her sneakers and went downstairs.

"You can't eat," Rian called back, laughing as he shook his head. The dogs were still at his heals, begging for more treats and the drummer picked Batman up, lifting him up and shaking his head. "You won't get any more treats right now, forget it. You'll get dinner tonight but that's it." He held the dog on his arm as he turned around, just to see Demi make her way downstairs towards them. "Now, that's better clothes to wear outside and for bowling," he chuckled.

She laughed as she joined the boys. "Yeah, I'll be way less cold this way." she joked. "We're stopping for dessert on the way home. Can we bring anything back for you Alex?" she asked her friend.

"Depends on what you're getting," Alex said and then shook his head. "Actually, yes. Just get me anything." Rian chuckled and put Batman down on the couch and then turned to Demi. "Ready to go, babe?"

"Anything?" Demi smirked, already thinking about the crazy dessert options she would bring back for Alex. "Chocolate covered grasshoppers it is." she teased. "Yeah, let's go." she smiled at Rian. "We won't be home too late. Call us if you need anything." she said, walking over and giving Alex a kiss on the cheek. "Oh, and no parties while we're gone." she teased.

Alex groaned, rolling his eyes. "Don't let her get me anything gross!" he warned Rian, before reaching down to pick Baz up who was trying to get up on the couch and then he leaned back. Rian chuckled, nodding Demi to go. "C'mon, babe." He lead her outside to his jeep and opened the door for her before walking around to get into the driver's seat.

"It's funny how you think he can stop me." she smirked. She followed Rian outside and got into the Jeep. "I'm really glad we're doing this tonight." she smiled over at her boyfriend. "It's been a long time since I've felt well enough to actually go out and have fun, you know?"

Rian looked over at her and smiled. "I know," he said, reaching over to take her hand and give it a gentle squeeze. "It's about time I take you out on a date," he laughed as he started the car and moved his hand to the back of Demi's seat, turning to look back as he backed out of the driveway and onto the street. "Besides, bowling is fun. It's been a long time since I've gone," the drummer chuckled.

"I know, right?!" she laughed. "Do you think the shoes have gotten any more comfortable over the years?" she asked.

"Probably not," Rian laughed. Once he was on the road, he moved his free hand to rest on Demi's knee and occasionally looked over at her with a small. The drive wasn't very long and soon the drummer parked the car and grinned over at his girlfriend. "C'mon!"

"Damn." she smirked. She rested her hand on his as they drove. "You better be ready to have your ass kicked." she laughed.

Rian laughed. "Baby, how am I supposed to teach you how to do it if you're so set on kicking my ass? How am I supposed to make a cheesy move on you?" He smirked, glancing over at her. Once at the venue, Rian climbed out of the car and soon the were heading inside. Rian got them all set and let Demi pick out shoes before getting a pair for himself.

"You know I'm competitive." she shrugged. "But I'll do my best to hold off until after you make your cheesy move."

He shook his head, chuckling lightly. The put on their shoes and when they got to the lane, Rian looked around. "Anything you want to drink, babe?"

"I'll just have a soda." she smiled as she began looking for a ball. "Oh my God. Whose hands are these big?" she laughed holding up a ball where her entire hand fit in the space between the finger holes.

Rian went to grab them both something to drink and when he returned and saw Demi struggling with the ball, he laughed. "Obviously not yours," Rian teased. He put the sodas down on the table. "Do you wanna go first, babe?"

She finally found a ball that her fingers would fit in, and was light enough for her to pick up. "Age before beauty babe." she teased.

Rian playfully rolled his eyes. "I'm old, I get it." He picked up a ball and looked back at Demi with a smirk. "Guess I'm lucky you're into old guys, huh?" he said with a wink.

"Hey, I'm only into old guys named Rian, who play drums." she smiled up at him. She put their names into the machine and pressed start.

"Lucky me," Rian laughed. He waited for her to start the game and then nodded. "So, I start now? Fine, you watch how to do it," he chuckled and stepped forward. His first throw wasn't perfect, but pretty good and with the second throw he knocked over all the remaining pins. A grin spread on his lips.

"Yeah you start now." she laughed. "I'll just sit back here and watch what not to do." She watched as he threw his first ball and then picked up the spare. "Not bad babe. But isn't the point to knock down all ten pins with the first ball?" she teased.

"Well, not necessarily, y'know." Rian walked back towards her and raised an eyebrow. "Maybe I want to surprise you with how good I actually am at this," he joked. "You think you can do better?" he challenged.

She heard the challenge in his voice and raised an eyebrow. "Let's make this fun, shall we? What are the stakes?"

His eyebrows raised, the grin not leaving his lips. "You wanna bet on this?" he questioned, the thought was thrilling and he was excited for this.

She smirked and sat back in her chair. "Yeah, I wanna bet on this." she told him. "I just need to know what you're ready to give up." she smiled.

"What I'm ready to give up?" he questioned, moving over to her and resting both hands on each side of her on the chair. "What do you want, babe?"

"Hmm...Okay. If I win, you have to take me out for a romantic dinner once a week for the next 6 months. If you win, I own you one backrub a week for the next 6 months."

A chuckle left Rian's lips and he nodded. "Sounds about right," he agreed, leaning in and pressing his lips to hers briefly. "Now," he said, standing up straight again. "I think it's your turn," he smirked.

She happily accepted his kiss, then pushed him back as she stood up. "Watch and learn babe." she smiled. She picked up her ball and took her spot, finding the right dots on the lane. She readied herself, found her arrow on the lane, took a deep breath, and began her approach. The ball rolled smoothly off her hand and followed her intended path, smacking the head pin just to the right. She turned around and smiled. "You were saying?" she smirked. One after another, all ten pins fell as she walked back to her seat.

Rian stood by the seats, arms crossed over his chest as he watched Demi take her turn. He chewed on the inside of his cheek and laughed lightly as she returned to him, all the pins falling one after the other. "Shit," he said shaking his head a little.

"I'm going to start making a list of the restaurants you're going to take me to." she smiled, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Yeah, yeah," he chuckled, dropping his arms and playfully rolling his eyes. He walked over to pick up the ball again and take his next turn. He wasn't bad, definitely, but if Demi was going to hit all the pins with every throw… there was obviously no chance he could win.

The games were pretty close. Demi won the first game, Rian winning the second. As they started the third game, Demi looked at her watch. "Wow, we've been here for like two hours already." she laughed. She had to admit, she had been having a great time. "Winner of this game takes all?" she asked.

Rian had a great time. He managed to win a game after losing the first one to Demi. A grin spread on his lips as he looked over at her and nodded. "Sounds about right." He reached over, resting his hand against the small of her back momentarily. "You start this round?" he offered, smiling at her.

She shook her head and stood up to take her turn. She knocked down eight pins, then immediately picked up the spare.

Rian watched her with a smirk before he picked up a ball and take his turn. He knocked all pins down in one throw and smirked at Demi as he moved to sit back down. "Ha! Maybe I'll win," he teased.

She stood up and cracked her knuckles. "I've just been warming up babe." she smiled. She threw her next ball and watched as all the pins fell. "Only need 11 more to go." she smirked.

"That's so not fair," Rian laughed as he went to pick up the ball again to make his next throw. It took him two throws to get all pins down this turn and he bit his lip as he watched Demi to see how she'd do on this one.

Demi took her next turn and felt the ball stick on her thumb when she released it, hitting the lane with a loud thud before rolling down the lane. As the pins fell she knew it would be bad. An eight ten split. "Shit." she muttered to herself. She picked up her ball again and sent it rolling down the lane hitting the 8 pin just right. It sailed across the lane just missing the ten pin.

A grin started to spread on Rian's lips as he saw Demi make her turn, and he laughed when she left one pin up by the end of her turn. "Ohhh, that was bad, baby," he teased, giving her a wink as she went to take his next turn.

"Oh come on!" she yelled at the pins. She turned back and pouted as she went to her seat. "That should have totally fallen over! It fucking wobble!"

"Yeah but it didn't fall," Rian said with a smirk. He walked up to the lane, positioning himself to make his next throw and he managed to get all down in one through, a grin spread on his lips. "Looks like I might have a chance of winning," he teased as he walked back towards Demi.

She watched as he rolled a strike. "The game isn't over yet." she said as she picked up her ball. Demi had a bad habit of being overly competitive and getting upset when she was behind. She rolled her ball and got a strike. "Yes!" she said as she walked back to her seat.

He quirked an eyebrows up at her comment, chuckling softly as he watched her take her turn. Towards the end of this game, they were close and Rian rolled a spare on his second to last throw.

By the time they reached the tenth frame, the game was tied. Demi took her final shots, two strikes and an eight. She walked back to her seat and watched as Rian took his final turn.

Rian picked up his ball, taking his last turn, knowing this would decided whether him or Demi would win. He chuckled lightly as he threw the ball. He didn't really care whether he'd win or not, so he turned around to watch Demi's expression as the ball hit the pins, eyebrows raised as he watched her reaction.

She held her breath watching his ball hit the pins. Strike. The next ball was no different. By his third role, Demi was chewing her nails, the anxiety taking over her body. She stood up as she watched the ball smack the head pin. It felt like each pin was falling in slow motion...1-2-345-6-7-8-9...9 pins. It was a tie. She looked from the pins, to Rian, to the scoreboard and back. "We tied." she told him. "Now what?"

Rian turned his head to look at the pin still remaining, and he chuckled lightly. "Now I say you'll get your dates and I get those back rubs," he said with a smirk.

She hated not winning, but she was very glad that he didn't win either. "So we both get what we want?" she asked, thinking about it for a minute. "I guess I can live with that."

"Yeah, it's the only thing that'd make sense. It would just be frustrating if none of us got what we wanted, right?" Rian wrapped his arm around her should with a grin spread on his lips. "You mad you didn't win?" he chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess." she shrugged. She leaned into him as he put an arm around her. "Yes." she admitted. "I hate not winning." she pouted.

"So had I won, you would've been mad at me?" Rian questioned. He pressed a kiss to the side of her head.

"Not at you, but in general, yeah probably." she admitted. "It's good for me though. I get too competitive sometimes."

He chuckled lightly. "Well, this time, we just both get what with want," he said with a wink. He pulled his arm back and moved to take the bowling shoes off and put his normal ones back on. "Ready to head out and grab some dessert?"

"Yeah, let's get out of here." she agreed, kicking off her shoes. "We have to find some chocolate covered grasshoppers for Alex." she laughed.

Rian laughed. "He's going to hate you if you bring him those," the drummer warned. When they were both ready to go, he lead Demi outside and to the car where they climbed in. "Wanna drive around and just stop somewhere that looks good?"

"No he won't. He'll hate you for letting me buy them." she laughed. She laced her fingers with his as she follwed him out to the car. "Yeah, that sounds good. Any thoughts on what you'd like?"

"Oh no he can never hate me," Rian laughed. Once by the car, he opened the door for Demi and then walked around to get in the driver's seat. "I have no idea. I'm just gonna go with wherever we end up," he chuckled.

One of the thinhs she loved about Rian was that he always made sure she was in the car before he walked around and got in. "Let's just drive around downtown until we see something that really speaks to us."

"Sounds about right," Rian said with a smile. Once he had the car back on the road, he reached over, resting his hand on her thigh as they drove through town. "You tell me if you see anything, alright?"

As they drove, Demi rested her hand over his and looked out the window. They passed a few cute places, but nothing really called out to her until they came across and old fashioned ice cream shoppe. "What about there? It looks so cute." she said, turning to look at Rian.

It was nice to just be driving around with Demi and smiled as Demi apparently spotted a shop. He slowed the car and looked over, then nodded. "Yeah, that sounds great," he agreed and soon he parked the car.

As they got out of the car and started walking towards the little ice-cream shoppe, Demi laced her fingers through his and leaned her head on his arm. The fragrence of waffle cone and sweet cream hit her nose as they walked inside. "Mmm...now the hard part. Deciding what to get." she laughed.

Rian smiled as they walked to the ice cream place, and in hand with Demi leaning against his arm. He hummed happily the closer they got to where the delicious smell came from. "We should just get a bit of everything," he laughed.

"Everything?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. She looked over the menu and sighed. "Okay, that may be our only option. But you may need to carry me out of here." she laughed.

"Yeah. Why not?" Rian chuckled. He raised his eyebrow and smirked. "I think I can do that," he said with a wink

They started tasting all the flavors, trying to decide what they wanted. "Any clue what Alex will want?" she asked as she accepted a spoonful of marionberry cheesecake from the young girl behind the counter.

"They're all good," Rian complained. This was making it hard to pick anything. "How about we try everything now and then get a variation of almost everything for Alex...or us to eat later?" he chuckled. He tried a different flavor and nodded. "We could get this one for Alex, he'd probably like that."

"Think they do large to-go containers?" she asked with a smirk. "Mmm....try this one." She held out what was left on her spoon of the marionberry cheesecake. "Can I try the banana mixes with the oreo?" she asked the girl.

He tried what was on Demi's spoon and his eyes widened a bit. "Okay, you better have large to go containers," the drummer said towards the girl. "We gotta get everything."

The girl couldn't put both flavors on the same spoon, so she handed Demi a spoon for each flavor. Demi put them both in her mouth and smiled. "Nope, this is what I want. I need like a gallon of this." she told Rian.

"A gallon?" Rian chuckled. "Alright, fine. But I wanna try it and if it's good you gotta share with me."

"Yes, a gallon." she said with a straight face. "Share? You want me to share ice-cream? Are you nuts?" she laughed. "You want some, you can get your own." She stuck her tongue out at him teasingly.

"Well then you get your own gallon and I'll get mine," Rian said with a shrug. He turned to the girl and nodded toward the combination Demi had just had. "I'd like to try that too, just to make sure it' actually really that good."

She turned and looked at Rian with her hands on her hips. "Are you doubting my choice in ice-cream?" she asked. She watched as the young girl gave Rian the two spoons and waited for his reaction. "Well?"

"I would never," Rian teased. He took the spoons and tried both at once, jokingly grimacing before finally nodding. "Alright, yes. This is good."

She smacked his arm when he pretended to hate it, smiling when he finally agreed it was a good flavor combo. "Okay, so we'll get legit a gallon of the banana and oreo combined." she told the girl. "And then we'll get a large dish of...which flavor did you say for Alex?"

Rian laughed at the look on Demi's face for the split second she thought she hated the combination. He nodded, agreeing to what they were getting. "Uh, that one," he said, pointing at one that he had tried and thought his best friend would like.

The girl said it would take her a few minutes to get together their order, so they went and sat down to wait. "We gotta give her a huge tip. I somehow don't think they typically sell gallons." she laughed.

Rian looked over at her once they sat down and laughed. "I think we can do that," he agreed. He leaned back in the chair and looked around. "I can't believe I've never went here. I think I should come here more often," he thought loudly.

After about twenty minutes the young girl came over to let them know everything was ready, but she couldn't lift the gallon tub. "Babe, go get it and put it in the car. I'll grab the dish for Alex and pay the bill." Demi said with a smile. "Thank you so much for doing this." she said to the girl. She paid the bill, and could see the girl biting her lower lip. "Would you like a picture? You've been so kind, it's the least I can do." Demi offerred. The girl's eyes lit up. Demi took the photo, then grabbing the ice-cream for Alex, she made her way out to the Jeep to meet back up with Rian.

The drummer chuckled before heading over to pick up the gallon tub and bring it out to the car. He saw Demi talking to the girl and looking back he saw them taking a picture, a smile was playing on his lips as he stored the tub in the car and just closed the trunk when Demi met back up with him. "Got everything?" he questioned. He opened the car door for her and once she was inside, he moved to get into the driver's seat.

"Yeah, we're good babe. Keys head home." She gave him a soft kiss before getting in the car. When they got back on the road, she turned her head to look at him. "We should really call the owner tomorrow and give that girl massive kudos."

"Yeah. I don't know where she got that gallon tub of ice cream from, but I'm pretty damn sure it took her a while to find it," Rian chuckled. He nodded in agreement. The girl was really nice of to them, and she deserved to be acknowledged for it.

"Yeah, she was awesome." Demi smiled. And now I have ice-cream for like a week." she laughed.

"Nope, you don't. I'm gonna eat all of it," Rian teased, a smirk playing on his lips as he looked out onto the road, driving them back home.

"Like hell you will." she said quickly. "You touch my ice cream and you can go snuggle Alex all night." she told him, raising an eyebrow.

Rian glanced over at her with his eyebrows raised. "Like that's gonna bother me," he laughed, giving her a wink. "At least Alex is gonna share his ice cream with me," he teased.

"Well, then you can have fun sleeping with Alex tonight and I'll get the big bed all to myself and I'll be totally naked." she smirked. "Oh yeah, he's going to share this little dish of ice-cream with you? We'll see."

"Now, that's not what I was saying," Rian tried to argue. He chuckled lightly and nodded. "He'll have to share with me or I'm kicking him out," he joked.

"You think I'd actually make this easy for you? Hahaha...who are you kidding?" she laughed. "If you're not sleeping with me, then you're not going to enjoy it." She turned and raised an eyebrow at him. "You're going to blackmail him into sharing his ice-cream with you? Damn, that's cold."

"You know, that's just not fair. If you're not gonna share with me we're gonna have to go back and get another gallon for me, so yours is gonna melt and I'll have lots of delicious ice cream that I'm not gonna share with you," Rian said with a not, keeping a straight face even though it was hard not to laugh. "Well, this is ice cream we're talking about. He doesn't have a key so if he's not sharing he's leaving and won't be getting back in."

She turned and glared at him. "Fine, you have have /one/ small bowl of my ice-cream. But that's it." she pouted. "Does Alex know how much higher ice-cream ranks than him?" she asked with a smirk.

"You think I'm gonna just take a small bowl when there's a gallon of ice cream?" Rian chuckled, amused at the glare Demi sent him. "I'm pretty sure the moment he tries this he'll understand. It's just that good."

"Yes." she laughed. "Oh, he is DEFINITELY not getting any of my ice-cream. He has his own!" she said quickly.

"Yeah, that'snot happening," Rian laughed. He playfully rolled his eyes. "Fine! The moment he tries the ice cream we got him, he'll understand how important it is that the two of you share with me."

"You're lucky I love you, you know that?" she said, playfully rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, I know," Rian chuckled. He pulled into his driveway a few minutes later. Once they were both out of the car, he headed for the back to get the gallon tub. "You go open the door so I can carry this inside, yeah?"

"I can do that." she smiled. "Do you want me to send Alex out to help?"

"You know that if he does help, he'll demand to try this, right?" Rian warned, a smirk playing on his lips as he picked the tub up, carrying it towards the front door.

"Screw that! You got this." she said, giving him a pat on the back before walking to the front door and opening it.

"I thought so." Rian carried the tub inside and straight to the kitchen. "Okay, but how the fuck are we gonna store this?" the drummer laughed

"Maybe we need an ice-cream freezer that we can put in the garage?" she asked, shrugging her shoulders.

"Probably exactly what we need," Rian said with a shrug. Alex wandered into the kitchen, eyebrows raised when he spotted the gallon tub Rian had sat on the counter. "What the fuck did you get there?" he questioned, causing Rian to laugh.

Demi stepped in front of her ice-cream and held her hands out trying to block it from Alex. "Back off Gaskarth. This is mine. Yours is over there." she said, pointing to the small dish.

"She's not gonna share. I had to fight to get some of it," Rian warned his best friend, chuckling lightly as Alex tried to walk closer to get a look at the tub. "Okay, but what is it? Can I at least try? Is it the same that you got for me?"

"MINE!" she said, practically hugging the gallon tub. "What do you mean what is it? It's ice-cream." she said, rolling her eyes. "You can try some from the bowl Rian gets since we got you something different that Rian said you'd like."

"She's a little possessive about it," Rian said, holding his index finger and thumb together to show 'a little'. Alex rolled his eyes, trying to move Demi away from the tub before giving up and getting a hold of the smaller bowl. "You're saying I get one bowl and I also have to share it with Alex? That's not fair, babe." Rian shook his head, looking at his girlfriend. A grin spread on his lips before he picked up the gallon, out of her arms and huffed as he moved it up over his head so Demi couldn't easily reach it. "Ha! Now it's all mine," he smirked.

"It's fucking ice-cream. What do you expect?" she asked them both. She shook her head in response to his question with a smile on her face. She knew she was being silly, but she loved that Rian played along and didn't care that she was being ridiculous. When the ice-cream slid out of her hands, she gasped, and looked up. She knew she couldn't reach it, even if she jumped. She looked from Rian to Alex and glared at them as she formed a plan. "You sure you want to do that?" she asked her boyfriend.

Were they acting silly? Yes, they absolutely were. But Rian was enjoying this, and he could hear Alex chuckle, which made this even better with how low his friend had been feeling. "Oh yes, I'm very sure I wanna do this," he smirked. "Why, you want your ice cream back or something?"

"Yes I want my ice-cream back." she stated. She walked in front of Rian and gave him an evil smirk. "Let's see...I could easily sweep your leg, but that might hurt the ice-cream as you fell." she said as she looked him over and contemplated her moves. "Or..." she walked up to him and got as close as she could. She stood on her toes and whipered in his ear as she slid her hands down his chest. "Give me my ice-cream or this will be the last time you feel my hand on your dick." She smirked and slid her hand down, gently grabbing his crotch through his pants.

Rian raised an eyebrow, watching her as she walked over to him, getting close and sliding her hand down his chest. He bit his lip, groaning slightly. "That's not fair," he said, eyes locked with hers. Alex grimaced. "Get a fucking room," he complained, grabbing a spoon and his container of ice cream before leaving the kitchen. "You've gotta share with me," he warned her before setting the ice cream tub back on the counter.

"It's nothing you haven't walked in on before." she called out after Alex. She felt triumphant with the rescue of her frozen dessert and smiled big. "Fine, I'll share." she finally agreed. She got down two bowls and opend the gallon tub. She scooped out 3 large scoops and put them in a bowl before handing it to Rian. "Happy?" she asked as she started to scoop out her own bowl. She filled hers to the top before working her magic to rearrange the freezer in order to make the ice-cream fit.

"I'd rather not though!" Alex called before he vanished into the living room where he lurked on the couch, Sebastian curling up beside him as he started to eat his ice cream. Rian watched Demi share some of the dessert into their bowls and she obviously got a lot more in her bowl than in his, causing the man to chuckle. "Yeah, that's totally fair," he teased, picking out spoons for them to eat with and taking a bite from Demi's bowl while she was rearranging the freezer. He picked up his own bowl to start eating that and leaned against the counter, waiting for Demi to be done with the freezer and ready to munch on her dessert.

"Coward!" Demi called back at him. When she finished in the freezer, she picked up her bowl and noticed a spoonful had been taken. "Seriously?" she asked, looking up at Rian. "You're so sleeping with Alex tonight." She stuck her tongue out at him and walked towards the living room.

Rian laughed at Demi's reaction to find a spoonful missing. "I was trying to make things fair," he said with a shrug before following her out of the kitchen and into the living room. "So apparently I'm sleeping with you tonight," he told Alex who just shrugged. "Okay," he said simply.

Demi sat down on the couch next to Alex and gave Baz a quick head rub. "The fucker took a spoonful of my ice-cream when I gave him an entire bowl." she told Alex.

Alex looked up and at their bowls and chuckled. "How rude. You both totally got the same amount now it's unfair," he teased. "Lemme try some," he said leaning over to steal some of her ice cream to try.

She was too slow to move her bowl out of reach before Alex took a spoonful. "Seriously??" she asked, looking at Alex. "I really don't like either of you right now."

"Shit, this is really good," Alex said after eating the spoonful. He smirked at her reaction and gave a shrug. "And yet you still like hanging out with us," Rian chuckled.

She looked from Alex to Rian, then down at her ice-cream. "You both suck!" she said as she stood up. "Have fun with your sleepover tonight." She walked out of the living room but stopped and turned back to face them. "Come on Baz. You get to snuggle with Batman, Ella, and me tonight." she said, calling Alex's dog.

Rian and Alex were both laughing until Demi stopped and called for Baz. "Hey!" Alex said, reaching over to pet his dog. "You can't steal my dog from me." Baz looked up and over at Demi then back at Alex, unsure what to do. "You go enjoy your ice cream, I keep Baz here, right man?" He leaned down to nudge the pup who wagged his tail and got up to climb into Alex's lap, begging to get some of the ice cream. Rian chuckled. "Come back here, babe!" he called, looking over at his girlfriend.

"Baz, you're a traitor." she told the dog. "Nope, you ate my ice-cream. You're stuck with Alex tonight." she told him, sticking her tongue out.

Rian playfully rolled his eyes. "C'mon. Hang out with us, you know you want to," he said, giving her a wink.

"Why should I? You're both ice-cream thieves."

"You still got almost a gallon in the freezer," Rian reminded her. "We can also go back to get more, y'know," he chuckled.

"So not the point." she told him, but she did walk back into the room, sitting the the chair the furthest away from either of them.

"Really?" Rian questioned when he saw her sitting as far away from them as possible.

"Yup. I'm not risking any more of my ice-cream by going near either of you." she said, taking a bite.

"I have my own now," Alex said, lifting up his bowl a little. Rian chuckled. "He's right. We've got our own ice cream now." The hung out in the living room for a while, Rian put on some movie eventually and Alex spent some time on his phone before he fell asleep on the couch. Rian shook his head as he saw his best friend sleeping. "And he says he can't sleep," he chuckled.

"You both had your own bowl before you stole a bit of mine." she told them. When her ice-cream was finished, she moved over and curled up in Rian's lap to watch the movie. "Let him be. He's had a rough couple of weeks." she whispered. Demi got up and gently laid a blanket over Alex. "Let's go to bed. Hopefully he'll sleep through the night." she said, holding her hand out to Rian.

Rian nodded slowly, agreeing with Demi. He knew Alex hadn't gotten a lot of sleep lately, he had a lot on his mind and he needed the rest right now. Rian took Demi's hand and followed her out of the living room.

#para #p;demi #date night

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slapshot-to-the-heart · 7 years ago

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Scars

Hi folks! Here’s Part VI for our ongoing adventure with Alex and Harry, the Chaos and the Calm series. Please keep telling me what you think, good, bad, or ambivalent, I want it all- it helps me become a better writer! Please keep reblogging and liking it so more people get a chance to read it. I’m sorry this one took a bit longer to write, so I hope you all like it!

Scars

August 2019

We grow apart/I watch you on the red horizon/Your lion's heart/Will protect you under stormy skies/And I will always be listening for your laughter and your tears

“I miss you, H.” Alex sighed into her phone. He had been gone for nearly two months, and it was beginning to take a toll on her. Aside from a three-day weekend that she flew out to Nashville for, where he was touring, the couple had spent nearly all of the time apart.

“I know, love,” Harry responded. His heart ached every time he heard her like this, knowing that he was simultaneously the cause of her grief and the only way it could be alleviated. FaceTime was great and they talked on the phone nearly every day, but it did nothing to replace the ache that seemed to leave a hole in both hearts. “It’s just another week, and I’ll be back in New York. Back to you.”

Alex picked at her fingernails, an annoying habit of hers she had picked up in childhood and never been able to quit. “But that’s only for a month, and then you’re off to Europe. How long is that bit, again?”

“About six weeks,” Harry began, “but let’s not worry about that now, okay?”

“Yeah.” She let out a shaky breath, praying that he couldn’t hear her. “I didn’t realize how hard it would be. This. Us.”

“Love—” Harry started, worried.

“I’m not saying that I want out. God, I don’t want out. It’s just a lot to deal with. It’s hard to talk about a relationship when one of the people isn’t even here half the time.” Alex said. No malice was behind her voice, only a quiet sadness.

“I know, Alex. It’s hard for me being away from you and feeling like I’m constantly living out of a suitcase, but I can only imagine what it’s like for you to be juggling work and finding time for us and everything else you’re doing in the city.” Alex could imagine him running a hand through his hair, tugging at the ends like he was prone to do when stressed out.

“We’ll manage,” Alex replied, a small smile on her face.

“We always do,” Harry said. Hearing another voice in the background of the call, Alex heard Harry’s voice muffled as he responded to whoever was on his end. “Listen, love, I’ve got to get going, but I love you and I’ll see you soon, okay?”

“Okay, H. Love you too.”

But you're miles away/You're breaking up, you're on your own/It's hard to take/I need an hour just to say hello/And I can't make the truth of this work out for you or me

The next week was hard for the both of them; as much as they tried to make time for one another, contact was confined to hurried phone calls and short texts, promising they would see each other as soon as humanly possible and that they missed each other as much as humanly possible. Alex didn’t blame Harry, not in the slightest. It was true that she might not have known exactly what she was signing up for when they decided to make a run for it, but she was stubborn as hell and willing to do whatever she could to make it work, to make them work. Even before they had started dating, it seemed that they were always a unit. It was seldom just Alex or just Harry, almost always Alex and Harry. They went to the same schools, did most of the same extracurriculars, and ran in the same circles. Alex knew that she was didn’t need Harry to complete her, that she was an independent, strong, complex person all on her own, but it was hard to figure out where exactly she fit in her world when he wasn’t around. So, to distract herself from the fact of Harry’s absence, Alex had tried to fill her time, in any way she could. She threw herself into her work, started volunteering at a local animal shelter, and took her friends up on nearly every opportunity to go out for dinner or drinks.

While she may have had less free time in her life with her newfound commitments, Alex was frustrated to find out that it did next to nothing to get the longing for Harry out of her mind. So, when he texted her, saying his plane was about to land, she breathed an audible sigh of relief. While she did rely on the subways for her primary form of transportation, it was moments like these when she was grateful that she was leasing a car. Grabbing her purse and keys from their place by the entryway, Alex locked the door and sent Harry a text. I’m on my way, can’t wait to see you, H! Love you lots. A few minutes later, she was pulling out of the apartment complex and onto the streets of Brooklyn. Google Maps had promised her it would only be a 20 minute journey to JFK, but she left herself an extra ten minutes, never trusting their predictions of New York traffic.

Flipping through her Spotify, Alex let out a small grin when it fell on Only Angel. So that’s how it’s going to be, is it? She thought. It had always been her favorite off of the album; a video of her dancing to it at a pop-up show Harry did in New York had briefly gone viral. Eventually the playlist moved on, but Alex was humming along to it all the way until she pulled into the short-term parking lot. Locking her car, she shoved the keys haphazardly into her purse and pulled out her aviators. Harry had said he wasn’t expecting too many fans or paparazzi, but she had taken to carrying around sunglasses ever since they had gotten caught off-guard by a group of photographers while in Central Park back in May. A few minutes, two elevators, and a moving walkway later, Alex arrived in the domestic terminal. She glanced at her phone, seeing a text from Harry two minutes previous telling her that he was nearly there. Wearing the green coat, he had said. Tapping a foot, Alex kept her eyes flicking between her phone and the escalator. She didn’t have to wait long. Not quite a minute later, Alex caught sight of the green pea coat she loved so much on the man she loved even more.

He caught sight of her just after, a huge, genuine smile appearing on his face. WIth just a little extra spring in his step, he hoisted his duffel onto his shoulder, nearly tripping off of the escalator at the bottom. Grinning, Alex took a few steps towards Harry, and he met her halfway.

“I missed yeh so much,” Harry said, his words muffled by her hair.

“Not half as much as I did,” Alex responded.

And as soon as I can hold you once again/I won't let go of you, I swear

Taking Harry’s duffel from him, they began to exit back towards the parking lot. There were only about a dozen fans milling about, and both Harry and Alex were grateful for the relative peace and quiet. He loved his fans and were incredibly grateful for all that they had given him, but it had been a long few months and there was nothing he wanted more than to snuggle with Alex back at his apartment. After a few minutes of speaking with the fans and photos taken, Harry and Alex were finally on their way to her car. He caught her up on the past week while walking— one of his crew had gotten absolutely smashed after a show and had ended up singing Celine Dion on top of a table, apparently. Alex told him about an adorable puppy she was working with at the shelter, a beagle that “gives me even more kisses than you do, H.” Alex turned onto the freeway, headed to Harry’s apartment. They had already decided she would sleep over that night; neither could bear having to say goodbye too early.

NPR was playing on the way back, and Alex turned the car off right in the middle of what she was sure was going to be a thrilling story about a newfound species of Angolan beetle. Once again taking Harry’s bag over her shoulder, she followed him into the elevator, realizing that she hadn’t brought a bag of her own. She supposed she didn’t even need one, really. She had gotten ‘a drawer’ a few months into the relationship, and bits and pieces of her wardrobe and belongings had migrated over into his apartment. She was sure there were a few outfits, positive at least one toothbrush— she had a bad habit of misplacing them— and a box of tampons under the sink, should she need them. Shrugging almost imperceptibly and smiling at her absolute dream of a boyfriend, she stood to the side of the entryway as he opened the door.

“Home,” he said dramatically, dropping the handle of his suitcase and spinning around slowly, arms out.

Alex laughed. “Come on, babe, let’s get you unpacked.” Harry had a bad habit of leaving his clothes in his suitcase, and Alex knew if she didn’t get him to do it right then, they might stay in until the European leg. Groaning good-naturedly, Harry followed her into his room, where they set his luggage on the bed and began to unpack.

The TV flicked as Alex snuggled against Harry’s side, trying to keep her eyes open as the clock struck 11. “You’ve never watched Lord of the Rings?” He had asked incredulously, before shaking his head and slipping the DVD in.

“I wish we could stop this moment and just stay here forever,” he whispered, gently stroking her loose curls.

Alex’s head turned to face him, her eyes blinking in an effort to stave off the tiredness that was threatening to overtake her. Shit, Harry thought. She wasn’t meant to hear that. Nope.

“Me too, H.” Alex said softly. “I don’t know, and this is me being honest, I don’t know if I’ve ever been as happy as I am when I’m with you, when I’m in your arms. You have this weird, almost magical ability to make me forget all of the stress in my life, everything that’s bothering me, even if it’s only for a moment.”

“You never told me that before.”

Alex gently kissed his neck. “I didn’t know if it could scare you, and the last thing I wanted to do is make you want to run. God, I don’t know what I’d do if you did.”

Harry took a shaky breath. Alex meant so much to him, so was so incredibly valuable to him that he didn’t think he’d ever be able to properly express it. She was the lighthouse that pointed him back home when he flew off-course, the rock that kept him grounded and humble when the bright lights of the stage threatened to overtake him, and the one person he knew he always, always wanted to come home to. He knew so clearly how he felt about her, and hearing that she felt just as strongly meant more to him than he could say. “I’m all in, Alex. I’m in it for the long haul.”

She leaned her head back on the crook of his neck. “Good. Because I am too.”

We live through scars this time/But I've made up my mind/We can't leave us behind anymore

As the movie ended, Harry folded up the blankets while Alex threw the spent popcorn bags into the garbage can. She finished before he did, and was already rummaging for her clothes as he came into the bedroom.

“H, have you seen the top that goes with these?” She asked, holding up a pair of flannel pajama bottoms.

Harry crossed to his dresser, pulling open the top shelf and handing her the shirt that was folded inside. “Yeh left it here after we packed for this last leg of the tour. Think you were a bit pressed for time,” Harry said, remembering the moment with a grin. Alex took the shirt gratefully, moving into the adjacent bathroom to brush her teeth and wash up. Walking up to the doorway, he thought carefully about his next words. “When do yeh think you’ll bring over the rest of your things, love?” Harry said slowly, looking at the mirror in an effort to gauge her reaction. She stopped brushing for a moment, a bit of foam from her toothpaste dropping into the sink. Washing out her mouth, Alex put her toothbrush back in the drawer and turned to Harry.

“Are you asking me to move in with you, Harry?” Alex said carefully. She was near-positive she hadn’t misinterpreted his question, but didn’t want to respond wrongly and make a fool of herself.

Harry nodded once. “Why not? I know your lease is up at the end of the month. You’ve already got a key, plenty of your things over here, and it’s closer to the subway line; it’ll be half the time to work.” The reasons seemed to tumble out of his mouth, and as they did, Harry realized just how much he wanted this, just how much he wanted to share this part of his life with Alex as well.

Alex reached up, resting one hand on his cheek. “You sure about this, babe? I know it’s a massive commitment.”

Harry nodded, leaning into her touch. “Wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t positive, love. So…,” he trailed off, “what do you think?”

“I think I’d better call my landlord and tell her I won’t be renewing my lease.”

“Hey, Lex?” Harry said, rolling over on his bed— their bed now, he remembered— just as she was dozing off.

“Yeah, H?” Alex asked sleepily.

“What do you think about coming along for the next leg of tour?”

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redcarpetview · 6 years ago

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THE “2018 AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS®” TO HONOR ARETHA FRANKLIN WITH SPECIAL TRIBUTE

Rickey Minor on board as Musical Director

The Live Broadcast Will Air Tuesday, October 9th at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC

Los Angeles (October 4, 2018) – dick clark productions and ABC today announced an all-star lineup of soul and gospel legends who will come together to pay homage to the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, at the “2018 American Music Awards.” Gladys Knight, Ledisi, Mary Mary, Donnie McClurkin and CeCe Winans, friends of the late, luminary singer/songwriter, will take the AMAs stage for a moving tribute honoring Franklin’s gospel roots and iconic gospel album, Amazing Grace. Consulting Producer for the tribute is the Emmy Award® winning music director, composer and producer, Rickey Minor. Hosted by Tracee Ellis Ross, the “2018 American Music Awards,” the world’s largest fan-voted awards show, will broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Tuesday, October 9, 2018 at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC.

“We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the American Music Awards, dick clark productions and American Music Awards’ producer, Larry Klein, for honoring Aretha Franklin with a musical tribute for this year’s broadcast,” said Sabrina Owens, Franklin’s niece and executor of the Aretha Franklin Estate. “Throughout its 46-year history, the American Music Awards has continued to stand by the music and honor the best in talent and the greatest in popular music culture. When I heard some of the initial ideas for the tribute, I knew without a doubt that this tribute will go down as one of the best in American music.” Owens adds, “We still remember when Aretha won her first American Music Award in 1976 for Favorite Female Artist – Soul/R&B, and throughout the years, she went on to win five more awards and we will never forget when she hosted the show; as well as her memorable performances. Dick Clark helped to revolutionize American music, and along the way, Aretha Franklin was part of that revolution.”

“It’s a blessing to be a part of this moving musical tribute to honor our late queen and sister, Aretha,” said Gladys Knight. “She was an icon and visionary, radiated light and love through all of her life’s work, and touched all of us through her incredible gift of music.”

“Aretha was the voice of a generation,” said music director, composer and producer, Rickey Minor. “She transcended racial barriers by reaching into the depths of her soul and taking us on a journey with every note she sang. Her spirit will live forever in her music.”

Aretha Franklin, The Queen of Soul. Photo courtesy of the AMAs.

One of the most iconic voices in music history, Franklin accumulated six American Music Awards in her lifetime, including Favorite Female Artist – Soul/R&B (1976, 1977, 1984 and 1986), Favorite Female Video Artist – Soul/R&B (1986) and Favorite Album – Soul/R&B (1983). She served as host of, and performed on, the AMAs in 1976 and 1983, and last performed on the AMAs stage in 1986. Franklin left a resounding mark on the music world and beyond, also garnering an induction into the Rock and Roll and Rhythm and Blues Halls of Fame, a Kennedy Center Honor, a Presidential Medal of Freedom and by utilizing her voice for social issues including civil and women’s rights.

The great ones endure, and Gladys Knight has long been one of the greatest. Very few singers over the last fifty years have matched her unassailable artistry. This seven-time Grammy winner has enjoyed #1 hits in Pop, Gospel, R&B and Adult Contemporary, and has triumphed in film, television and live performance. Fall of 2015 marked the release of Knight’s first mainstream dance record, “Just A Little” in nearly twenty years. The song serves as lead single from her twelfth studio album that she is currently working on. Knight, who is a two-time Grammy winner in the gospel category, yet again embraced her gospel roots, releasing her inspirational album “Where My Heart Belongs,” in September 2014. The album was a major success and won an NAACP Image Award for “Outstanding Gospel Album.” All told, Knight has recorded more than 38 albums over the years, including four solo albums during the past decade: “Good Woman” (1991); “Just for You” (1994); the inspirational “Many Different Roads” (1999); and “At Last” (2001). “At Last” showed the world that she still has what it takes to record a hit album, employing the talents of contemporary producers like Randy Jackson, Gary Brown and James D.C. Williams III, Jon John, Jamey Jaz, Keith Thomas, Tom Dowd and Tiger Roberts. Her involvement in other creative undertakings, business ventures and humanitarian activities has been extensive, and has brought her honors from industry and community alike.

Ledisi is a 12x Grammy-nominated vocal powerhouse who has wowed fans ever since she came onto the scene. She’s earned a place in the pantheon of the best soul singers of her generation. Ledisi is a favorite of The Obamas and has performed eight times at the White House. Her fans include icons, legends and current chart-toppers like the late- Prince, Patti LaBelle, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder and more. She has headlined two national sold-out tours, performed alongside Richie Sambora, Dave Matthews, Kelly Clarkson, Jill Scott, Maxwell and many more. She’s appeared on nationally recognized shows like Good Morning America, HARRY, The David Letterman Show, The Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and VH-1’s Diva’s Live to name a few. In 2015 she appeared in the Oscar-nominated movie Selma as Mahalia Jackson and is currently starring in Gabourey Sidibe’s Shatterbox Anthology film, The Tale Of Four. Ledisi released her ninth Grammy nominated studio album Let Love Rule, which features John Legend, Kirk Franklin, and B.J. The Chicago Kid among others. The album received three GRAMMY nominations in the “Best R&B Album,” “Best R&B Performance” (High), and “Best Traditional R&B Performance” (All The Way) categories.

Ledisi. Media Image.

Mary Mary is the multi-Grammy® and multi-award winning Gospel recording, sister duo of Erica and Tina Campbell. The sisters broke through in 2000 as Mary Mary with the pioneering hit “Shackles (Praise You).” Mary Mary has earned numerous Stellar & Dove Awards, four Grammy® Awards, three NAACP Image Awards, two American Music Awards, a Soul Train Award, a BET Award, the BMI Trailblazers of Gospel Music Award, ASCAP Golden Note Award and more. After seven Mary Mary albums and a lifetime–18 plus years of professionally singing–the commercially successful and critically acclaimed Mary Mary has sold more than 5 million albums, toured internationally, graced the covers of multiple high-profile magazines and both have recently launched successful, award-winning solo careers. Erica Campbell’s solo debut album, Help, won a 2015 Grammy® Award for Best Gospel Album. Erica is the host of the nationally syndicated radio show, “Get Up! Mornings with Erica Campbell.” In 2015, Tina Campbell independently released her solo debut album, It’s Personal, winning the 2016 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Gospel Album. Her single, “Too Hard Not To,” from her follow-up album, It’s Still Personal, received a 2018 Grammy® nomination for “Best Gospel Performance/Song. Erica and Tina continue to perform as Mary Mary while embracing their solo careers. They are loving wives and mothers who are devoted to their faith and their families.

The three-time Grammy winner, Donnie McClurkin, debuted as a solo artist in 1996 with his self-titled album Donnie McClurkin, featuring mega-hits Stand and Speak To My Heart. Before launching his solo career, he started the New York Restoration Choir and recorded his first album, I See A World that contained the original version “Speak To My Heart.” The gospel anthems, We Fall Down and Great Is Your Mercy, both from the top-selling Live In London And More album was released in 2000. The acclaimed gospel singer won his first Grammy in 2004 for Again for Best Soul Traditional Gospel Album. McClurkin’s double CD, Psalms, Hymns & Spiritual Songs earned a Grammy in 2006 as Best Traditional Gospel Album. In 2010, he accepted his third Grammy (Best Gospel Performance) for Wait on the Lord, featuring Karen Clark Sheard from his We Are One: Live in Detroit album. His other top honors include over 12 Stellar Awards; two BET Awards, three NAACP Image Awards, two Soul Train Awards and three Dove Awards. He appeared as a judge on BET’s Sunday Best for six seasons 2010-2015. McClurkin is currently in the recording studio, look for new music in 2019.

CeCe Winans. Photo by Naomi Richard.

CeCe Winans has released a slew of duo and solo albums that crossed genres and boundaries and influenced a generation of gospel and secular vocalists. Her mantel today holds a staggering 12 GRAMMY Awards, 23 Dove Awards, and seven Stellar Awards. She’s been inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, Hollywood Walk of Fame and Nashville Music City Walk of Fame, in addition to being named a Trailblazer of Soul by BMI and garnering multiple NAACP Image Awards, Soul Train Awards, Essence Awards, and more. She’s sold in excess of five million albums in the U.S. alone, topping the Gospel charts repeatedly while managing to cross over with smashes like “Count On Me,” her stunning duet with Whitney Houston from the multi-platinum ‘Waiting To Exhale’ soundtrack, which sold two million copies and cracked the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and Adult Contemporary charts. She touched millions more with inspirational performances everywhere from Oprah to The White House, and even showed off her acting chops on television series like ‘7th Heaven’ and ‘Doc.’ In 2016, Winans became a member of the Artist Committee for the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors. Winans’ upcoming project, Something’s Happening! A Christmas Album is scheduled for release on October 19th.

Rickey Minor is a composer and Emmy Award winning Music Director who’s worked with such renowned recording artists as: Whitney Houston, Adele, Rihanna, Demi Lovato, Keith Urban, Diana Ross, Katy Perry, Aretha Franklin, Jennifer Lopez, Little Big Town, Stevie Wonder, Arianna Grande, Carrie Underwood, Sting, John Legend, Common, Elton John, Andra Day, Usher and Beyoncé. His numerous television credits include The Tonight Show starring Jay Leno, The Emmys, American Idol, The American Music Awards, and The Kennedy Center Honors. In addition, he has worked on several major live events and award shows, including some of the most memorable Super Bowl and Grammy Award performances. He has received seven Emmy Award nominations and one win for Outstanding Music Direction — Genius: A Night for Ray Charles, An Evening of Stars: A Tribute to Chaka Khan, The 50th Annual Grammy Awards, The 51st Annual Grammy Awards, The Smithsonian Salutes Ray Charles: In Performance at the White House, Stayin’ Alive: A Grammy Salute to the Music of the Bee Gees, Taking The Stage: African American Music and Stories That Changed America.

Gladys Knight, Ledisi, Mary Mary, Donnie McClurkin and CeCe Winans join previously announced performers Benny Blanco with Halsey and Khalid, Cardi B with Bad Bunny and J Balvin, Mariah Carey, Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign and Carrie Underwood, with additional performers to be announced.

The American Music Awards winners are voted entirely by fans. Voting is now open in all categories.

For New Artist of the Year presented by Capital One® Savor® Card, Favorite Social Artist presented by Xfinity and Collaboration of the Year, fans can vote for each award 100 times per day, per voting platform in one or both of the ways below. Fans can vote for all other awards once per day, per voting platform.

· Via web at com

· Posting a tweet on Twitter that includes the nominee’s name or Twitter handle, the category name and #AMAs within the tweet

Voting for New Artist of the Year presented by Capital One Savor Card and Collaboration of the Year will close on Tuesday, October 9 at 5:59:59pm PT, one hour into the live broadcast. Voting for all other categories will close on Thursday, October 4 at 11:59:59pm PT.

American Music Awards nominees are based on key fan interactions as reflected on Billboard.com, including streaming, album and digital song sales, radio airplay, social activity and touring. These measurements are tracked by Billboard and its data partners, including Nielsen Music and Next Big Sound, and reflect the time period of September 15, 2017 through August 9, 2018.

YouTube Music is the presenting sponsor of the “2018 American Music Awards.”

Capital One Savor Card and Subaru of America, Inc. are sponsors of the “2018 American Music Awards.” Media partner is Cumulus Media/Westwood One

The “2018 American Music Awards” is produced by dick clark productions. Barry Adelman, Mark Bracco and Tracee Ellis Ross are Executive Producers. Larry Klein is Producer.

For the latest American Music Awards news, exclusive content and more, be sure to follow the AMAs on social and join the conversation by using the official hashtag for the show, #AMAs.

Facebook: Facebook.com/AMAs

Twitter: @AMAs

Instagram: @AMAs

Snapchat: TheAMAs

YouTube: YouTube.com/TheAMAs

Tickets are now on sale at www.axs.com.

About the American Music Awards

The American Music Awards, the world’s largest fan-voted award show, features performances from today’s hottest artists and presents fan-voted awards in the music genres of Pop/Rock, Alternative Rock, Country, Rap/Hip-Hop, Soul/R&B, Adult Contemporary, Contemporary Inspirational, Latin, EDM and Soundtrack, and the categories of Artist of the Year, New Artist of the Year presented by Capital One Savor Card, Collaboration of the Year, Tour of The Year, Favorite Social Artist presented by Xfinity and Favorite Music Video. The American Music Awards pays tribute to today’s most influential and iconic artists. The show is produced by dick clark productions and is seen in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. For more information, visit www.theamas.com, www.dickclark.com or abc.go.com/shows/american-music-awards.

About dick clark productions

dick clark productions (dcp) is the world’s largest producer and proprietor of televised live event entertainment programming with the “Academy of Country Music Awards,” “American Music Awards,” “Billboard Music Awards,” “Golden Globe Awards,” “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest” and the “Streamy Awards.” Weekly television programming includes “So You Think You Can Dance” from 19 Entertainment and dcp. dcp also owns one of the world’s most unique and extensive entertainment archive libraries with over 60 years of award-winning shows, historic programs, specials, performances and legendary programming. dcp is a division of Valence Media, a diversified media company with divisions and strategic investments in premium television, wide release film, specialty film, live events and digital media. For additional information, visit www.dickclark.com.

About YouTube Music

YouTube Music is a completely reimagined streaming music service with music videos, official albums, singles, remixes, live performances, covers and hard-to-find music you can only get on YouTube. It’s ALL here! YouTube Music serves music based on your tastes and what’s moving the community around you. Discover something new or keep up with what’s trending. Basic functions such as playing music and watching videos are totally free, but you can upgrade to YouTube Music Premium to explore the world of music ad-free, offline, and with the screen locked. Available on mobile and desktop. For additional information, visit www.youtube.com/musicpremium.

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tometender · 6 years ago

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JACKSON by Emily March

From New York Times bestselling author Emily March comes Jackson, the newest novel in the critically acclaimed Eternity Springs series. Sometimes it takes a new beginning Caroline Carruthers thinks she buried her dreams along with the love of her life…until a stranger named Celeste dares her to chase a dream all on her own. Moving to Redemption, Texas, is chapter one in Caroline’s new life story. Opening a bookstore is the next. Finding love is the last thing on her mind as she settles into this new place called home. But when she meets a handsome, soulful man who’s also starting over, all bets are off. to reach a happily-ever-after Jackson McBride came to Redemption looking only to find himself, not someone to love. Ever since his marriage ended, he’s been bitter. Sure, he used to believe in love—he even has the old song lyrics to prove it—but the Jackson of today is all business. That is, until a beautiful young widow who’s moved to town inspires a change of heart. Could it be that the myth of Redemption’s healing magic is true…and Jackson and Caroline can find a second chance at a happy ending after all? Author Bio: Emily March is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the heartwarming Eternity Springs series. A graduate of Texas A&M University, Emily is an avid fan of Aggie sports and her recipe for jalapeño relish has made her a tailgating legend.

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250314918

Jackson is a book of second chances and starting over. Caroline moves to Redemption to make a new start on life. Her husband had serious mental issues and had to be put in full time care where he completely forgets who Caroline is and falls in love with another woman in the facility. Her dream is to open a book store and she thinks Redemption is the place to do it. Jackson is one of three cousins who inherit a beautiful canyon. He’s starting over and isn’t interested in finding love but is attracted to Caroline. A friendship blooms between Jackson and Caroline as well as equally devastating heartbreaking moments. Emily March masterfully blends heartache and healing while bringing two wounded souls together in love. I received this ARC copy of Jackson from St. Martin's Press. This is my honest and voluntary review. Jackson is set for publication June 25, 2019.

Chapter One

Nashville, Tennessee Bang. The judge’s gavel fell and officially crushed Jackson McBride’s heart. He closed his eyes. Bleak despair washed over him. Up until this very moment, he hadn’t believed she’d take it this far. He’d thought she’d come to her senses. He’d thought she would recognize that this proposal was not only nonsense, but truly insane. He’d believed that somewhere deep inside of her, she still had a spark of humanity. That she wouldn’t do this to him. To them. He’d been wrong. Damn her. Damn her and the yes-men she surrounded herself with. Damn them all to hell and back. The enormity of what had just happened washed over him. Oh, God, how will I survive this? On the heels of his anguish came the rage. It erupted hot as lava, and it fired his blood and blurred his vision with a red haze of fury. He’d never hit a woman in his life. Never come close, despite plenty of provocation from her direction. In that moment had she been within reach, he might have lived up her accusations. It scared the crap out of him. That’s what she’s brought me to. Abruptly, he shoved back his chair so hard that it teetered, almost falling over. He strode toward the courtroom exit. “Jackson? Jackson, wait!” his attorney called, hurrying after him. Jackson waved her off and didn’t stop. There was nothing left to be said. Nothing left to be done. No place left to go. No little girl waiting at home to hug and cuddle and kiss good night. The tap on the toes of Jackson’s boots clacked against the tile floor of the courthouse as his long-legged strides ate up the hallway. He shunned the elevator for the stairs and descended three flights at a rapid pace, then headed for the building’s exit. In a foolish bit of positive thinking, he’d driven his SUV to the courthouse this morning. Now the sight of the safety booster seat in the back seat made him want to kick a rock into next week. He didn’t want to go home to a quiet, empty house. He shouldn’t go to a bar. Alcohol on top of his current mood could be a dangerous combination. Somebody probably would get hurt. He got into the car and started the engine. For a long moment he sat unmoving, staring blindly through the windshield, his hands squeezing the steering wheel so hard that it should have cracked. When his phone rang, he ignored it. A couple of minutes later, it rang a second time. Again, he ignored it. When it happened a third time, he finally glanced at the display to see who was calling. His cousin. Okay, maybe he would answer it. “Hello, Boone.” “How did the hearing go?” Jackson couldn’t speak past the lump in his throat, so he said nothing. Following a moment’s silence, Boone got the message. He muttered a curse, and then said, “I’m sorry, man. So damn sorry.” “Well, it is what it is.” “You can take another run at it.” “Yeah.” In three years. Three years. Might as well be three decades. He cleared his throat and changed the subject. “So, how are things in Eternity Springs?” “Good. They’re good. My friend Celeste Blessing visited my office a few minutes ago and spoke of her granite-headed cousin. Naturally, I thought of you.” “Naturally,” Jackson dryly replied. But he felt a little less alone. “Do you have plans this weekend? I could use your help with something.” Pretty convenient timing. Knowing Boone, he had a spy in the courtroom. But Jackson wasn’t in the position to ignore the bone he’d been thrown. “I’m free. Whatcha got?” “I’d like you to meet me at home.” Jackson straightened in surprise. “You’re going back to the ranch?” “No. Not there. I’m never going back there. However, I am talking about Texas. The Hill Country in particular. A little town west of Austin called Redemption.” “Redemption, Texas?” Jackson repeated. For some weird reason, his heart gave a little skip. “Why there?” “It’s a long story. Too long for a phone call. I’ll give you the entire skinny when I see you. When can you get there?” After today’s debacle, Jackson had absolutely no reason to remain in Nashville. “When do you want me there?” “I’ll be in later today. I’m in Austin now. I’ve been helping a friend with a project. I have a flight back to Colorado Sunday evening. The earlier you can get here the better, but I’ll make anything work.” Jackson figured the distance and the drive time. “I’ll meet you tomorrow afternoon. Where?” “Great. I’ll text you the info when we hang up. Bring camping gear.” When a sound behind him had Jackson glancing up into the rearview mirror and the booster seat caught his notice, he made an instant decision. “Can’t. I’ll be on my bike.” “You’re gonna ride your motorcycle all the way from Nashville?” “Yes, I think I am.” “Okay. I’ll bring stuff for both of us.” Boone hesitated a moment and added, “Hang in there, Jackson. It’ll get better.” No, I don’t think it will. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Jackson ended the call and finally put his SUV in gear and backed out of the parking place. With the distraction of the call behind him, fury returned, and by the time he reached home, he felt like a volcano about to explode. He threw a handful of things into his tail bag, filled his wallet with cash from his stash, and ten minutes after his arrival, he fired up his bike and took his broken heart and headed out of Nashville. He left behind his home, his work, and his one reason for living, his six-year-old daughter, Haley. From Jackson. Copyright © 2019 by Emily March and reprinted with permission from St. Martin’s Paperbacks.

Author Bio: Emily March is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the heartwarming Eternity Springs series. A graduate of Texas A&M University, Emily is an avid fan of Aggie sports and her recipe for jalapeño relish has made her a tailgating legend.

Emily March Blogger Q&A JACKSON 1. You wrote a book! That’s pretty awesome. Why don’t you tell us a bit about what inspired Jackson and the rest of the books in the Eternity Springs world? The saying “Write what you know” says it all in my case. I’m a small-town girl and my family and friendships are center to my world. I write about love and family and friendships. I have roots in both the Colorado Rockies and the Texas Hill Country, so it was natural for me to set Eternity Springs and Redemption there. The idea for JACKSON grew out of my interest in the music currently being written and performed in Texas. I’ve always thought singer/songwriters are romantic figures so I was excited to create a hero with this background. Unfortunately, I’m not a musician and I’m definitely not a singer, but I am creative so it was fun for me to explore that aspect of a character. 2. Introduce us to your main character! Okay. Well, Americana singer/songwriter Jackson McBride is a bit damaged when the book begins. His famous, talented and wealthy ex has won a custody battle that severely limits his access to his six-year-old daughter, so Jackson goes home to the Texas Hill Country to nurse his broken heart. He finds solace in Enchanted Canyon hiking the trails with the dog he rescues and working to bring a historic dance hall back to life. The last thing he expects is to find love again with a woman whose heart is as battered as his own. 3. Walk us through a day in the life of Emily March. Ready to be bored? Now that my daughter’s and niece’s weddings are behind me—they consumed me for months—I’m boring and happy about it. I split my time between Fort Worth where we have a condo downtown in a 1930’s passenger train station and our lake house in the Texas Hill Country. I recently gave up my office in town because I’m spending more and more time at the lake. My husband also offices out of our condo, so on days when we are both working in town, I’ve started riding the new TexRail train that runs from our building to DFW airport. It’s quiet and comfortable and I don’t have Internet to distract me. And at $5 a day, it’s much cheaper than office rent. :) When I’m at the lake I’m either working or doing yard work. My new favorite toy is my power washer. 4. Lots of aspiring authors out there. Any advice for them? I’ve always thought that one of the most important things you can do for your writing is to read. And read. And read some more. Read across genres. You absorb so much about pacing and plotting and character development when you read. Plus, you get to READ! :) 5. How is the Jackson trilogy different than your other series? I don’t think it’s necessarily different from the rest of the Eternity Springs series. I write about love and family and friendship—that doesn’t change. Readers will still see old friends from Eternity Springs and a few scenes in JACKSON are set in Colorado. What’s new is we get to spend some time in the Texas Hill Country and meet a few new characters—Celeste’s cousin, Angelica, for example. 6. I know asking someone’s all-time favorite book is a loaded question so what’s your current favorite read? I’m a big fan of Patricia Brigg’s Mercy Thompson series and I’m reading her latest right now, STORM CURSED. 7. Alright, the ultimate question: why should we read your book? My goals as a writer are to touch a reader’s heart, to entertain her and make her laugh, to maybe cry a little and sigh with satisfaction upon reaching the end. With JACKSON, I believe I’ve achieved those goals. 8. Describe yourself in 3 words. Family. Family. Family. :) 9. What is your most embarrassing memory? Walking out of the junior high school cafeteria in seventh grade, not realizing that my very short dress—it was the 70’s—had gotten hung up in my underwear and I inadvertently flashed my rear end to the entire cafeteria—including the tables where the football players sat. Thinking about it even today gives me the hives. 10. Favorite quote or scene you wrote in JACKSON? I love the ending. Jackson is a songwriter who has lost his music and when he finds it again…the song he sings to Caroline…just makes me melt. 11. What is one piece of advice you would tell everyone? Call your mother. 12. What inspired you to become a writer? I’ve always loved to read, so that is part of it, but my father was my primary inspiration. He was a fabulous storyteller. I grew up sitting at his feet and listening to him tell stories about his youth and his experiences in Europe during World War II. Listening to him tell his stories was my favorite thing to do. I didn’t inherit his talent for verbal storytelling, but I think I learned from him how to tell a good story on the page. 13. Do you have any interesting writing quirks or habits? Like I mentioned before, I’m pretty boring. My perks and habits are always evolving. The train writing thing is new for me. I usually write on a laptop and edit on a desktop. I listen to movie soundtracks when I write and always finish a book with The Last of the Mohicans. 14. What has been one of the most surprising things you’ve learned as a published author I’m always a little surprised and honored that readers are excited to meet me. Like I said…I’m a boring person. 15. What is your favorite state to visit? Colorado, of course, because I must keep returning to Eternity Springs. :) 16. What are hobbies or interests do you have? We are lake people, so I love waterskiing and boating and fishing. As I write this we’ve just finished Memorial Day weekend at the lake, so I sort of feel like chief cook and sheet-and-towel washer, too. I love, love, love hosting big holiday gatherings of family and friends at the lake house, but I will admit I do tire of the mountain of laundry in the aftermath. 17. Can you tell us about what’s coming up next after this for you writing wise? I’m writing Tucker’s story. Fun fact for this—as part of my research I attended a survivalist training school for a weekend. I searched long and hard to find one where I could return to town to spend the night in a comfy hotel rather than sleep on the ground—I’m only willing to go so far for my art. I did learn to start a friction fire, though, something I’me VERY proud of. :) 18. How can readers connect with you online? My website is www.emilymarch.com. I’m active on Facebook. My Facebook page is www.facebook.com/emilymarchbooks. You can also reach me by email at [email protected].

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rockrageradio · 6 years ago

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GUNS N’ ROSES’ Duff McKagan RELEASES “DON’T LOOK BEHIND YOU”

SOLO ALBUM TENDERNESS COMING MAY 31

ALBUM PRODUCED BY AND FEATURING GRAMMY® WINNER SHOOTER JENNINGS

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR KICKS OFF MAY 30 IN PHILADELPHIA

EUROPEAN TOUR BEGINS AUG 22 IN POLAND

TOUR WILL SEE McKAGAN BACKED BY SHOOTER JENNINGS + BAND

McKAGAN TEAMS WITH NON-PROFITS FOR SOCIAL CAUSE CAMPAIGN

Los Angeles, CA (Apr. 23 2019) –“People are going to herald this as one of the best albums of the year.” That’s what SiriusXM radio host Larry Flick said about TENDERNESS, the upcoming solo album from Guns N’ Roses Duff McKagan. “This is Americana-Duff McKagan,” says Flick. “It’s not what you expect.”

Produced by (and featuring) recent Grammy winner Shooter Jennings, TENDERNESS (UMe) arrives May 31st. McKagan is giving fans another sneak peek at the much-anticipated record with the release of its closing track, “Don’t Look Behind You”

“’Don’t Look Behind You’ was truly inspired by a sense of peace that washed over me after a few months of turning off the TV and social media,” says McKagan. “It was also inspired by the sense of real community I felt while traveling and talking to people around the world on tour during this somewhat tenuous time. This period of sturm und drang will indeed pass. The song seemed to be the final summation that rang loudly from the topics on Tenderness.”

“The recording sessions for this album also saw us re-assemble, for the first time since the Use Your Illusion recordings, The Suicide Horn Section, featuring my brother Matt McKagan on trombone, the great Chuck Findlay on trumpet, and the impossible Brian Scanlon on sax,” he adds. “On the very last day of recording, they came down to the studio and laid down the amazing horn lines for ‘Don’t Look Behind You.’ I’ll never forget the culmination of Matt and The Suicide Horns mixed with the Waters singing group sending this song and album out, as Shooter and I just watched it all with goosebumps.”

TENDERNESS sees McKagan reflecting on his experiences traveling the globe over two and a half years on Guns N’ Roses’ Not In This Lifetime tour. Encountering heartbreak, anger, fear, confusion and divide on his travels during this tumultuous time in our world history, McKagan channeled a collective hurt into songs of monolithic power.

“We’re becoming divided at a time when we need each other most,” says McKagan. “When huge industries get replaced because of modernization, it’s time to retrain and bolster up those who get swept aside. Homelessness and drug addiction are avoidable in this country if we come together and get private and public cogs turning together in a positive direction. We can at least try to tackle mental illness while we’re at it. But alas, we stump and lie, point fingers and divide. We’re way better than this.”

With that in mind, McKagan has created a campaign that puts the album’s themes into action and he’s inviting fans to join him in an effort to give support to organizations doing great work. Those include Seattle's Union Gospel Mission, 320 Changes Direction, and To Write Love on Her Arms, among others. For more information, please visit propeller.la/duff.

McKagan, backed by Shooter Jennings and his band, will be taking these songs on the road for a North American tour that kicks off May 30 at TLA in Philadelphia, to be followed by a European run that begins August 22 in Poland. Tour dates are as follows:

Friday May 31st - City Winery, Washington, DC

Saturday June 1st - City Winery, Boston, MA

Monday June 3rd - Irving Plaza, New York, NY

Thursday June 6th - Thalia Hall, Chicago, IL

Saturday June 8th - Cannery Ballroom, Nashville, TN

Monday June 10th - Historic Scoot Inn, Austin, TX

Thursday June 13th - El Rey, Los Angeles, CA

Friday June 14th - Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA

Saturday June 15th - Aladdin Theater, Portland, OR

Sunday June 16th - Showbox Presents, Seattle, WA

Thursday August 22nd - Stodola, Warsaw POLAND

Friday August 23rd - Astra, Berlin GERMANY

Saturday August 24th - Blue Moon Festival, Amsterdam HOLLAND

Monday August 26th - Gloria, Cologne GERMANY

Tuesday August 27th - Alte Feurwache, Mannheim GERMANY

Thursday August 29th - Islington Assembly Hall, London UK

Saturday August 31st - Electric Picnic Festival, Dublin EIRE

Sunday September 1st - Academy, Manchester UK

Tuesday September 3rd - Le Trabendo, Paris FRANCE

Wednesday September 4th - Ancienne Belgique, Brussels BELGIUM

Friday September 6th - Dynamo, Zurich SWITZERLAND

Sunday September 8th - Saniera Club, Milan ITALY

#soundcheckwithgentry #rockrageradio #rock #duffmckagan #rockmusic #rocknroll

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dailyaudiobiblechronological · 6 years ago

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01/13/2019 DAB Chronological Transcript

Job 35-37

Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible Chronological. I'm China. Today is the 13th day of January, welcome. It's great to be here with you guys today as we begin a new week. Now that's very exciting and depending on where you are in the world, maybe you've experienced some snow this weekend. I crossed my fingers and really, really hoped that we would get some in Nashville and we had like freezing rain pellets. It almost looked like hail, I guess they call that sleet or something weird, but no snow. So today we continue in the book of Job. I feel like we're never going to leave this book, but we are coming to a close in the next few days. So today, we're in chapter 35-37 and for this week we're going to be in the New Living translation.

Commentary:

I feel as if today's word in today's message, is to remind us whenever we get stuck in the Rut of disappointment and really losing track of who God is, and losing sight of who we are, and just needing better perspective. It's so important to remember, who the Lord is and not only that, but what he has done. And I think it's, it's so, so good to be reminded those things, and we can read it and be like, that's so simple. Like, why are we reading this? Because, we're reading it because, I truly, truly think of even our good days, like, let's not even just say on our bad days, we forget this. Like even on our good days, we can forget. Okay Lord, actually you spoke things into existence. You, you spoke things into motion, you breathed life into things and I can't do this. I, I didn't do that. I didn't speak things into existence. I didn't have the capacity to cause a flood that would wipe out the earth. I don't have the authority to do this, and to do that, and to speak this, and to do that, as you do. Because the authority that I have comes from you, and so I definitely can't do things outside of you, and you're the one that, that allows these things to happen. So let me remind myself this. And sometimes it's very easy for me to forget that I'm praying to God the father, God the son, God the Holy Spirit, and not just the title of Jesus. I think there's a huge difference that we, we can just, our brains go into autopilot and we can just pray when we're really whatever I was going to say, some examples like at the dinner table, or before we go to bed, or when we wake up, or whatever. We can be in prayer, in all of these things in her heart can mean well, but I think a lot the times I know for myself, I can get caught up in the, title of Jesus, as if there is nothing more than just the name. But Realizing, okay Lord, let me just, let's just close our eyes for a second. Just take a deep breath (breath sound). Jesus, we just want to see your face. We want you to be real to us. God, I just pray that if you've never felt real to us that this would be the closest we've encountered you. Jesus, I thank you, that you are more than just a name that sounds good or it was this a "gung ho" feeling and we're feeling down. I thank you that you walked this earth. I thank you that you were about healing and miracles. I thank you that there is a You to have been, and to be. Jesus, I thank you that you're listening to the words that are coming from our mouths, from our hearts. You know the thoughts in my brain and in my heart. And Jesus, You have the power and you are willing and able to come and manifest your presence to be tangibly felt, and so God, I thank you, for your word today that simply reminds us of who you are. God, I pray that we have a constant reminder. I thank you that your word is a constant reminder to us each and every single day. But more so good that we would set our eyes upon you, and that we wouldn't be fixed on the healings and miracles, the rescue, the just asking you, for things that we would rejoice in the fact of who you are. Lord, that it wouldn't be a relationship where we're just using you because that's not a relationship that's, just almost like a vending machine and so God, we just ask that we would pursue your hearts, that you would show us what that looks like as you pursue us. And so yes, Jesus, we just, we welcome you into this moment that you, would truly make your presence known. And Jesus, we invite you into our hearts, into the moments of every single day, and that Jesus we would be mindful of the ways that we can just start conversation with you. Doesn't have to be specific as sayings of thee's or thous or, or any of those things Jesus, you just want our hearts. And you just want us. We over-complicate it.

Prayer:

And Jesus, I thank you. You just want to be with us. So God, I pray that you would just give us something to hold onto in this moment. That we would see your face, God, that you'd give us a glimpse of something to hold onto, that we can look back on this day and remember it as the date that we tangibly felt your presence, that we felt you invade our space. Jesus, what peace we have because of you. It's in your son's name. We pray. Amen.

Announcements: Truthfully, it's, it's so hard to remember that we can actually pray and ask the Lord to come and invade, and to come and dwell in our space. I remember when I was probably between the ages of 11 and 12, I dealt with really bad spiritual warfare in my room, a growing up as a very young kid, like, before I was even a teenager. I, like spiritual warfare was, every night for me. To the point where, like going to sleep was, it was dreadful. I hated it. I hated just the dark. Like nighttime was scary for me, especially no lights on. I just didn't like it. And I remember one night my, I finally just was like, "Dad, like I'm so freaked out to be in my room and I don't know what's going on". And my dad was like, "that's it", like I have, he wasn't frustrated with me, he was more so, frustrated of like, you're 11, like what, a, you haven't welcomed anything into your room that wasn't allowed? So he brought his anointing oil, anointed, the door frames, my window frames and he put this cross in my room, and I've switched rooms in this house, but I still have that cross in my room that I'm reading in right now. And he just prayed and asked that the Lord would just come and touch me like he had never done before. And that was the first time that I had felt the Lord's presence. And it was something that I don't even know how to explain, but it, it genuinely felt like a, a human being like hugging me. But I was like sitting down and my dad was sitting in front of me and he was just praying over me and I just felt like this engulfing hug. And it was really sweet, and I just hold onto that. Like the tangible moment that I felt the Lord meet me in the times that felt really, really scary as a kid. And so as I was reading today, I'm like, I had like this pain, like in my chest, like in my rib cage. It was weird. I haven't had that in years. And I was like, "Lord, what is this?" Like, "I don't like this, this is scary. This is a sharp pain. It's hard to breathe". I was just reading through it, but then reminding myself, "okay Lord, like actually let's just pause and focus on who you are and focus not on what you can do for me but who you are". And as soon as I, uh, as soon as we started doing that and I just recognized his power, my computer actually crashed. It was really cool. Um, I think it was just the Lord saying like, "you asked me to show up here I am" and a, I don't know if it was coincidence, I'm going to say that it wasn't. But yeah, my computer totally crashed and the pain in my chest went away so it was just really cool, and it's a really sweet reminder that the Lord is interested in and pouring into me every single day as I pour out as well. So I say that to give a testament to the Lord, in such a short time frame, also to encourage you that, that is something that we're all available to do. I didn't use any special essential oils or oils or any fancy words, it's like, it's just real. And I remember growing up it was always voiced, very complicated to talk to the Lord or to ask HIm to come. I just was like, I feel like we're doing a disservice to the Lord. I don't feel like this is what he's interested in. I don't think sacrifices is what he's looking for any more, of in terms of like going and finding a spotless animal and then slivering off certain parts of it that, that's what I mean by sacrifices. I still think the Lord is about, like, us sacrificing something of importance, but that's a whole different conversation that we'll have. I'm sure later this year. So, um, yes, I don't even know really where to go from there other than, um, my body is like sweating, but I, I would still love to hear what the Lord is doing in your life and really the places that you desperate for the Lord to show up. But I think that as we asked for prayer requests, it's important to be reminded that it's, uh, this is hard to say. Don't rely on other people's prayers to get you through whatever you're going through. You are more than willing and able to have a relationship and contact with the Lord and ask him to come and just sit with you. Like, let's not over complicate that. Just as we would ask a friend to come and sit with us just to be like, Lord, I need you to show up and I really am asking that you would hold me, that you would be tangible. We have different senses and I believe that the Lord created them so he knows them and knows what's going to speak to us. And so, all of that to say, prayer requests are amazing. And asking people to pray over you, there's nothing wrong. Don't get it twisted. That's not what I'm saying, but to rely on other people to pray for you is diminishing what the Lord, has given you, of a voice and the authority that he wants to show you and instill in you. And so, if you just want to call in and pray for yourself, pray for others, and um, and just have what the Lord is doing and attest to it, in his goodness, by all means, that's what this is here for, that's what I'm here for. And to pray and to lift up and encourage each and every single one of you. Every day is my heart. So the phone number for that is 800-583-2164. That is all for today. I'm, China, I love you. And I'll be waiting for you here, tomorrow.

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