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#dune acres
dailyoverview · 1 year
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Colorful patterns are seen in Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, a 380,000-acre (155,000-hectare) protected area in northeastern Brazil. The park contains miles of rolling sand dunes, the valleys of which fill with freshwater lagoons during the rainy season and are prevented from draining by impermeable rock beneath. With 43 miles (70 km) of Atlantic coastline, Lençóis Maranhenses is home to a range of species, including four that are endangered: the scarlet ibis, the neotropical otter, the oncilla and the West Indian manatee.
-2.553460°, -43.061980°
Source imagery: Maxar
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Wildlife Rescue
Steddie, T (eventually E in later parts) Steve & Robin run a wildlife sanctuary. Eddie's daughter follows their social media accounts. Chrissy takes a new position at an exotic animal clinic as one of the lead vets. A small world brings them all into each others lives. Based on this crackish idea.
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Robin laughed at Steve as he gently juggled the baby skunk from arm to arm. He’d never get over how cute all baby animals were to him. Obviously what he and Robin did was a labor of love. They ran a non-profit wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center.
It had started slow, when Robin had been in college for environmental sciences. Steve had saved up and moved with her, an apartment off campus as he kept up working at the time at a little Italian restaurant. That’s when he found Sophie. She was his first wildlife rescue. A limping squirrel that over the course of five shifts and lots of food bribery hopped into a shoebox lined with dishtowels and Steve brought her home.
Initially Robin had been a bit taken aback, she’s a rodent, dingus!
He had hushed her as to not scare the wild animal, so what if she is, she needs my help!
Within two days Robin was in love with her too. The whacky spirit of a comical little squirrel won her over easily.
And so it began.
Robin got her masters degree, Steve was still on minimal talking terms with his parents, and the two of them decided they’d stay in Indiana but make their way closer to Lake Michigan. Robin had been hired by a conservation group for the Dunes and Steve was working two jobs and started sensing a pattern.
It was almost like these animals in need sought him out. A bright, bold, cartoon style arrow pointing to him, sucker for wounded wildlife.
Next was a dehydrated raccoon who was able to be re-released after the rest and nourishment they needed. Then some abandoned baby chipmunks- the regular vet pointed them in the direction of a more wildlife focused care team and Steve couldn’t deny that maybe this was his calling.
That many animals needing a special brand of treatment couldn’t be a coincidence.
He had looked for a sanctuary or rescue that specialized in native wildlife and the closest one he had found was in Northern Michigan or much further south in Indiana- not a single one in his vicinity.
His mom had been reaching out more often. Trying to reconnect now that she knew Steve was going to be his own person and not what his father wanted him to be. She still wanted a relationship with Steve. He was her only son and she deeply regretted the divide the past had driven between them.
Growing up Steve wasn’t allowed pets. His dad had severe animal allergies, but his mom had always loved animals. Had grown up with a large bunny named Daisy she had adored. When Steve told her about the daydream that had spun into an actual plan she had let herself get lost in the daydream with him.
Whether it was guilt or an olive branch she was the first to donate to Harrington Safe Haven. The donation helped start the non-profit and secured himself and Robin a sprawling ranch style home on three acres of land. Steve wasn’t afraid of some hard work, thus their social media platform was born.
Instagram, TikTok, YouTube- Robin ran the accounts and it had really taken off from there.
#HarringtonSafeHaven
#HSHsanctuary
#SafeHavenSteve
#BucksBreaksItDown
#Wildliferescue
And the hashtags continued. Four years in and they were staying above water, which was pretty decent when it came to non-profits. They had the funds to care for their home and animals and enough to survive. The most recent reel was one of Steve introducing their followers to a baby skunk,
“Hey folks! This is Safe Haven Steve and I’ve got a new friend here for you today. I didn’t wanna be cliché and name her Flower like from Bambi, and no it isn’t a baby deer it’s-“ He lifted her into the screen, “A baby skunk! Could she be any cuter?” He gushed over the small striped critter.
“Did you know skunks can be litterbox trained like cats? So, Sage here, is taking on a lot of learning the next few weeks with me and Robs. Wanna follow her journey with me? Like and subscribe to follow along with our updates! As always there’s a link to our website and for those of you in a place to donate we encourage you to do so, we email you how your donation is used and which native to our home in the midwest animals it directly helps! Have a great day and sending so much love from myself, little Sage here, and all of us that keep Harrington Safe Haven up and running because of your support!” Sage nuzzled her nose into Steve’s cheek like a little kiss for the camera.
Filming with animals was chaotic at the best of times, but sometimes it worked out as if scripted and today couldn’t have gone better.
Robin put down her phone and clapped before scooping Sage from Steve’s arms, “That was perfect! Let’s get my sanctuary break down for the month filmed and we can post that later this week, but our outreach is going so well! Our follower numbers have gone up the past two weeks since you did the local news segment.”
They switched locations so Robin could tell their monthly donators about how the sanctuary was benefiting from their generosity and how all the animals were currently doing. It was part of their premium membership a special breakdown of each animal and how their ongoing care is continued or if the ones in position to be released have been.
Another private content they released to their premium members was videos of the release- so all of these premium members had seen Steve cry more than a few times. Always happy tears, bittersweet, when he got to re-release a wild animal back to their habitat.
After filming Steve was doing his evening rounds, making sure enclosures were secure. That the foxes were fed and getting along. Robin was on reptile room duty getting snakes fed and checking in on the small amphibians that called the sanctuary home.
They sat down to their own dinner as Steve gingerly blotted at a small scrape bestowed upon him by one of the minks in their care. Robin had doctored up some instant ramen for dinner and placed a bowl in front of him, “Some of the new premium memberships came through, two are birthday subscriptions one went with the upgrade so tomorrow we’ve just gotta do a little happy birthday video or arrange a FaceTime for day of. Otherwise it’s a chill day on the docket.” She chatted idly.
Steve was forever grateful to Robin’s organizational skills.
He swallowed his bite and let her know, “Couldn’t do this without you Robs.”
Robin paused from scrolling on her phone and looked up at him smiling, “I know dingus.” She said simple as anything, “I love it too.”
Steve was twenty-nine, and ran a small but sturdy wildlife rescue with Robin. It wasn’t always easy, but everyday something would happen that reminded him how much he loved what he did.
Eddie knew he was in for a phase. Regina was turning ten and the sweetness she always embodied was turning into something more akin to pre-teen angst. He had made some choices in his very early twenties, to him attraction was attraction even if most of his interests were men. Then there was Reggie’s mom Kelly. They were drunk, she was bright and nerdy and in the moment it had been fun.
Three months later she told Eddie.
After Reggie’s arrival Eddie did his best to help support them, marriage was never in the talks, then Kelly wanted to pursue school asking him to take responsibilities for the time being.
And that time being had been her way of  just clean cutting them out of her life. Eddie hadn’t tried very hard to track her down and had moved himself and Reggie in with Wayne and never looked back.
He did contracted work writing music for scores in films and videogames, even commercials sometimes. If it paid and didn’t suck Eddie usually signed on for it. It had taken years for him to break into the industry. He had done odd jobs to make ends meets when Kelly had split. Eventually taking a vet tech position at Chrissy’s insistence in his early twenties. He kept submitting music and sound samples and had completed an online degree in sound engineering that finally got his foot in the door to where he was at in his career today.
The one thing outside of music that Reggie was happy to share with Eddie were all the animal rescue accounts she followed, the top one being Harrington Safe Haven, it was practically local, and the main people who ran the sanctuary were hilarious to watch. Safe Haven Steve had the same heart as Steve Irwin his love for all critters shone in his videos and Eddie, he lapped that shit up.
The man holding a garden snake and kissing it on it’s head reminding them to, watch out for wildlife on your hikes folks!
Steve gently cradling a baby rabbit in his large hands, check for rabbit kits and bunny nests before mowing your lawns in the spring! Saves a lot of heartache all around.
They uploaded regularly and when Eddie checked out the donation membership he knew what would make for a great birthday present for Reggie. She had been begging him for a pet lately, and he was considering it, after they settled into their new home.
Wayne was kicking off his retirement by selling the trailer, getting an RV, and setting off on an epic road trip. The first stop being Sawyer, Michigan to help Eddie and Reggie move into their new place. A small apartment close to Eddie’s best friend Chrissy and within a stronger school system than Hawkins had to offer.
One thing Reggie possessed that Eddie never had was being a good student. The kid always got the report card comment of, ‘a pleasure to have in class’. She was testing into honors level classes and if she continued on that path would eventually need a high school that offered decent AP classes when the time came.
He knew they weren’t moving far, but to Reg it was the end of the world. All her friends and comfort of the known being uprooted for Michigan. Eddie’s current bargaining chip was Aunt Chrissy, but he knew he had no choice but to make Reggie’s tenth birthday one to remember.
Eddie was just two weeks into their new place, Reggie’s room and décor had been top priority and now he felt like he was just getting around to finishing touches in the shared spaces. Most of the days peppered by Chrissy stopping over and talking about the various pot bellied pigs, lizards, ferrets and parrots she’d seen through the day.
The apartment was close to the library and small downtown strip of shops. Eddie had made a point to walk the path more than a few times since moving in. Making sure Reg was getting comfortable in her new surroundings.
It was the evening before her birthday, “You said this weekend I could have a sleepover at Cara’s back in Indiana, right? You remembered to make sure it was okay with her mom?”
Eddie smiled at his daughter. Her curls more youthful and bouncy than his had ever been. A lighter more golden color than his darker brown. Her eyes and dimples were a dead giveaway that she was his. Her face an open book to her feelings. Chrissy always teased them they shared the same catalog of expressions.
“Yeah lovey, of course I did. It’s set in stone, I think Mrs. Klein is bringing you girls to the movies and maybe baking something special- it’s a whole thing baby doll.” Eddie knew he could be forgetful in some aspects but never when it came to Reggie.
She slipped her hand into his, “Thanks, I think ten might be too old for you to call me baby doll.” She made a face of disgust as Eddie laughed.
“Kid you’ll always be my little baby doll, buttercup, sweet pea-“ She shoved him to cut him off.
“Foul play!” Eddie cried happily.
Hoping the rain cloud attitude she’d carried around the past few weeks was dissipating. Maybe ten would be a good year for them. He hoped so. He had the ability to work from anywhere and he knew he was upending her world, but he wanted her to have more opportunities that small town Indiana just didn’t offer.
“I gotta get a couple things for my office but want to grab an ice cream after?” Eddie asked giving them a game plan.
Reg gave him a devious smirk, “Can I get two scoops?”
Eddie lifted an eyebrow at her, “You think you can handle two scoops? It’s your funeral, kid.”
She giggled at him. He basked in it knowing that she was already at an age that was starting to think your parents were lame and embarrassing or what was it? Cringe.
Chrissy had lost her breath from laughing so hard a few days ago when Eddie had his bandana tied around his hair as he hung up pictures in the apartment and Reggie had come in the room and declared him an 80s wannabe and cringe.
Once they secured the office supplies and then ice cream decisions they sat at one of the ice cream parlor tables as Eddie’s phone buzzed. He checked the notification and turned the phone to Reggie, “Ah! A new Harrington Safe Haven video! I wonder if it has Sage in it again, has Aunt Chrissy worked with skunks before? Oh my god, has she been sprayed?!”
Eddie laughed softly, “I dunno Reg, but we can ask her.”
Reggie thoughtfully worked on her two scoops of ice cream in a waffle cone, “Did you see in the owl video how Safe Haven Steve said their member accounts get footage of the animal releases? Oh and Chrissy said bearded dragons make awesome pets, just saying…” She gave him an impish look.
Eddie chuckled, “Trust me Regina, I am keeping an open mind to getting a pet- let’s see how the school year starts first? October, okay? Let’s reevaluate the Munson’s get a pet discussion for October?”
She pretended to think it over, “Okay, but then I’ll have to rethink my Halloween costume to be matching with the pet we get.”
Eddie shook his head happily, “Sure kid, whatever you say.”
“But it means it’s still up for discussion?” She wheedled.
Eddie’s smile grew, “Of course.”
She was almost down to the waffle cone, “Head home so we can watch the newest video on your laptop?”
“Good thing ice cream in cones is portable! Shall we?”
“Yeah, dad.” She said as she walked in step with him back to their new place.
They settled in on the couch and pulled up the animal sanctuary’s YouTube channel to be greeted by the smiling and currently bespectacled face of Steve. Eddie thought the man was beautiful but the videos with his glasses were something Eddie held near and dear to his single-dad who hasn’t been on a date in two years heart.
“Hey Folks!” Steve waved at the camera, “I’m Safe Haven Steve and did you know skunks are omnivores?” He scooped Sage up from down by his work boots, “Sage here is still a baby so she’s getting regular bottle feedings. We reckon she’s about two months old so at three we’ll start introducing more solid foods for her to eat on her own. What is an omnivore you might be asking? Well it’s what we are too! I suppose not everyone if you’re a vegan or vegetarian- but what it means is omnivores eat both plants and meat, so when baby Sage gets a little older she’ll think crickets are a treat! Skunks are opportunists when it comes to feeding they’ll go for mice, birds and their eggs, grasshoppers, wasps! And all kinds of fruits and veggies. They’ll definitely go for your trash too, so keep your outside garbage bins with tight lids!”
Robin walked on screen and did a Vanna White style hand gesture at the food laid out on a small table next to Steve. The two of them keeping the commentary going as Sage tried to crawl up on Steve’s shoulders.
Robin laughed at his expense and shot a quick, “You’re on your own Stevie!” before walking out of the shot.
Sage jostled his glasses as he giggled and held her in one arm as he adjusted his frames, “As always I encourage everyone to learn about their friendly neighborhood critters and emphasize these guys are wild and not meant to be pets. All our buddies here at Harrington Safe Haven have had circumstances that bring them to us and your donations and support help us a boat load! If you have the means to do so click the link at the end of this video. As always thanks for watching and loving on Sage as much as we are! We love you have a great day!” The video cuts off on a close up of Steve cuddling Sage close to him and kissing the top of her head.
“Again?” Reggie asked excited to watch the baby skunk content another time, “Can we comment too?”
“Sure Reg, let’s watch it again.”
Hi, hello, yes, I am unhinged for steddie AUs thinking just a few parts of this story, but we'll see how it turns out! 😅 I'll tag it as wildlifesteddie along the way. Thanks for diggin' my silly little AUs.❤️
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thebyrchentwigges · 5 months
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Reading Neal Stephenson - where to begin
Chatting with a friend last night, Neal Stephenson and his 30+ years of influential sci fi novels came up. And we agreed that, as with getting started reading Terry Pratchett, a guide to starting with Stephenson might be helpful.
Here's my "if you like X in your media/fandom, try this book" guide to Stephenson.
All of Stephenson's works are longreads - some are dense and massive. 20th Century Takes On The Genders pop up, usually balanced by Stephenson's foundation respect for women. I've noted a few warnings where these reader challenges come up.
Gritty, action-packed sci-fi
You like The Matrix, Mad Max, that meme about Toledo Killswitch.
Try: Snow Crash
Still a banger! Vivid and sarcastic characters are making their way in a dystopic U.S.A. Delivering pizzas, scrounging skateboard courier jobs, trying to save humanity from toxic data and from fundamentalists abusing the power of language. Today, the role of capitalism-gone-wild in the story seems more prescient than the Metaverse, though both are presented as equally dystopic. I hear there's a TV show in the works.
Sci-fi with fairy-tale/historical tropes
You like: steampunk, Six of Crows, Fables, Sandman.
Try: The Diamond Age: Or A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer
A data-and-nanobot-heavy dystopia may be a little redeemed when a fairytale-themed education package winds up outside of its elite. Is it possible for a book to be spicy and dispassionate at the same time? If it is, it’s The Diamond Age. This tale is part of why steampunk was cool for over a decade, and it’s got the colonial awareness a lot of later steampunk lacked. Warning for sexual violence and assault.
Also consider: The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O, with co-author Nicole Galland and magical overlap.
Academia-core, worldbuilding, gentle demi protagonists
You like: Becky Chambers and Ursula LeGuin, Star Wars, Dune, and A Canticle for Liebowitz.
Try: Anathem
This book is both loved and hated. It’s a deep favorite of mine and IMHO the sleeper in Stephenson’s bibliography. This story's math monks are here for friendship and mentoring and found family and human curiosity – and saving a couple of worlds. Longread warning: it’s 900 pages and one of the themes in the book is differing perspectives on long-term time.
Gritty, action-packed wartime and history
You like: the Marvel universe – specifically, its fandom – and spy movie tropes.
Try: Cryptonomicon
When this came out it blended history (WWII) and the future (late ‘90s programming) in a hunt for WWII gold – now both narrative streams are history. Another galloping read by Stephenson standards. Warning: the weakest female character representation in this bibliography.
Deep history nerdery
You like: pirate movies and Our Flag Means Death and Pratchett’s Making Money.
Try: The Baroque Cycle: Quicksilver, The Confusion, The System of the World.
In the same ‘verse as Cryptonomicon, in mostly the 18th century. A handful of intellectuals and adventurers ride the tides of conflict, heresy, politics, and currency, with acres of swashbuckling along the way. I lost an entire month of my life to devouring these three tomes. Eliza/Jack 4eva! Longread warning: this makes Anathem look short. The Silmarillion is an accessible standard narrative compared to this. And, also, warning for sexual violence and assault.
Hopepunk and romances
You’re old-school-fandom enough to respect a good Mary Sue.
Try: Termination Shock
Solar engineering to try and undo climate change, subtle international warfare, and deepfakes undoing royalty are the three plot streams here. Also, will a dispossessed aristocrat find love and passion again? Very accessible for Stephenson.
Hard queer sci fi
You like: The Locked Tomb series and fandom.
Try: Seveneves
Moon’s broken! And that means the end of life on Earth as we know it. After a series of “space is hard” misadventures, it's up to the parthenogenetic space queers to preserve humanity. Another one that is loved or hated. I don’t love - but other Tumblerites give it a five-star rating.
Good luck!
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vintagelasvegas · 6 months
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Colony Club, Las Vegas, Summer 1942
Photos from William Spath, on the right in pic. 3, drummer of a 6-piece band from Chicago, courtesy of Lee Spath.
Beyond the crossing of Fremont St and Charleston Blvd, once considered the outskirts of town and the start of Boulder Highway, there was a sparse nightlife scene in the 30s & 40s. Colony restaurant and casino opened here Jul. 4th, 1942, next to a club called The Dunes and nearby Meadows resort. The owners were a group of club and casino men from Palm Springs & Hollywood: Irwin Schuman of Chi-Chi club, Nola Hahn, and Milton “Farmer” Page who had just opened Pioneer Club. The location was approximately 2500 Fremont St.
During its brief two months in business, the club featured the entertainment of Cantu the Mexican Magician, the dance & parrot act of Yvette Dare, singer Al Herman aka “the king of blackface,” and burlesque star Sally Rand in a show the club advertised as “girlorious, sexhilerating, and scandelicious.”
Thomas Hull, principal owner of El Rancho Vegas, purchased Colony and 20 surrounding acres a few weeks after its opening, but the club soon closed citing a problem with the deed. The unpaid contractor, former owner, and new owner all ended up in court. Colony and neighboring Dunes club were destroyed by fire on 7/5/44.
“New Casino Being Built Near Vegas.” Review-Journal, 4/9/42; “New, Smart Colony Restaurant Will Open to the Public Tomorrow Eve.” Review-Journal, 7/3/42; “El Rancho Vegas Owner Purchases Colony Restaurant.” Review-Journal, 8/18/42; “Colony Club to be Shut Temporarily.” Review-Journal, 9/12/42; “Colony Club Is Subject of Suit.” Review-Journal, 10/21/42; “Night Club Fire is Worst in History.” Review-Journal, 7/6/44.
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rebeccathenaturalist · 11 months
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You have NO IDEA HOW HAPPY THIS MAKES ME!!!!!! Willapa NWR is my "home refuge", so to speak. I've volunteered there for hours, spent a ton of time walking the trails, and it is incredibly dear to me. They're already protecting and restoring thousands of acres of land, from tidal wetlands to old-growth forests to dune habitat and more. This funding approval means that Willapa NWR will receive $1,255,248 to acquire 239 acres of land for the purpose of preserving waterfowl and other wildlife habitat.
Habitat loss is THE single biggest cause of species endangerment and extinction, so the more we're able to protect, the better--especially if we can create wildlife corridors between sections. Biodiverse ecosystems also have a better chance of weathering the effects of climate change.
Along with the habitat acquired for Willapa NWR, funding was also approved to purchase land for other Refuges:
Cat Island National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana – $1,466,000 to acquire 548 acres.
Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge in Kentucky – $6,621,000 to acquire 2,482 acres.
Green River National Wildlife Refuge in Kentucky – $11,372,000 to acquire 1,335 acres.
Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge in New Hampshire – $1,066,450 to acquire 797 acres.
The funding was acquired through the sales of Federal Duck Stamps; 98% of the money from these stamps goes into purchasing and maintaining Refuge lands. While these were originally created to raise funds for waterfowl land by requiring waterfowl hunters to buy a stamp with their license each year, anyone can buy a Duck Stamp. There are lots of non-hunting collectors who buy them for the art, and the annual art contest draws talent from across the country. The Junior Duck Stamp Program allows young artists K-12 to enter their own contest while also learning about conservation. (It also was the topic of one of my more infamous posts here on Tumblr!)
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mutant-distraction · 8 months
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➤ Valley of Fire State Park is a public recreation and nature preservation area covering nearly 46,000 acres (19,000 ha) located 16 miles (26 km) south of Overton, Nevada. The state park derives its name from red sandstone formations, the Aztec Sandstone, which formed from shifting sand dunes 150 million years ago. These features, which are the centerpiece of the park's attractions, often appear to be on fire when reflecting the sun's rays. It is Nevada's oldest state park, as commemorated with Nevada Historical Marker #150. It was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1968. Valley of Fire is located in the Mojave Desert 50 miles (80 km) northeast of Las Vegas, at an elevation between 1,320–3,009 feet (402–917 m). It abuts the Lake Mead National Recreation Area on the east at the Virgin River confluence. It lies in a 4 by 6 mi (6.4 by 9.7 km) basin.
📷@codymayer22
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ksjanes · 1 year
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Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is an American national park that conserves an area of large sand dunes up to 750 feet on the eastern edge of the San Luis Valley, and an adjacent national preserve in the Sangre de Cristo Range, in south-central Colorado, The park encompasses 107,342 acres.
The park contains the tallest sand dunes in North America. Sediments from the surrounding mountains filled the valley over geologic time periods. After lakes within the valley receded, exposed sand was blown by the predominant southwest winds toward the Sangre de Cristos, eventually forming the dunefield over an estimated tens of thousands of years. Ecosystems within the mountain watershed include alpine tundra, subalpine forests, montane woodlands, and riparian zones.
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joe9cool · 9 months
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Collide- Epilogue 2- Lost in This Moment With You
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A/N This is fan fiction purposes only. I do not know anyone on or associated with The Chargers. Also you do not have my permission to post my work anywhere else.
BREAKING: SARA WOZNIAK IS REPORTEDLY ENGAGED TO JUSTIN HERBERT!
ET EXCLUSIVE; SARA WOZNIAK IS ENGAGED TO NFL PRO JUSTIN HERBERT
Wedding bells are in the air for the [TV show] actress 28 and the Los Angeles Chargers Quarterback 26. The couple are engaged. People exclusively reported the news as the Academy Award nominee was spotted around LA wearing a sparkler on that finger.
A TIMELINE OF SARA WOZNIAK AND JUSTIN HERBERT'S RELATIONSHIP.
PATRICK HERBERT, JUSTIN HERBERT'S BROTHER COMMENTS ON SARA WOZNIAK ENGAGEMENT. "I'M VERY HAPPY FOR THEM."
There it was, the news now public. Justin and Sara had made the decision to go public with the news shortly after Sara's birthday. Both phones were blowing up like crazy, their management teams containing all of the press and requests for comments. Sara had begun wearing her ring in public, which was splashed all over tabloids as she walked the red carpet for the Royal Film Awards. People thought it was Sara's style, some thought it was ugly, others thought it was creative.
They were bombarded with packages from every designer, every venue far and wide, roses and expensive gifts from celeb brands and friends with personal boxes congratulating them. Some were cute, others were obnoxious and they had a laugh as they tore through them. There were even gifts for Eugene and Nova, as they made appearances on her social media.
The planning began, and they hired a low key wedding planner, someone who wasn't known for working with big celebrities.
They had a date set and stone.
May 24th 2025 in Oregon at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort.
It was gorgeous and overlooking the coast. It was to be a full wedding weekend, with rehearsal, then the wedding, then a brunch to send the couple off to their honeymoon.
With everything booked, and save the dates being sent out next week, Sara could breathe some sigh of relief. They were in Pittsburgh, along with Justin's family for their engagement party that her parents were throwing at their house.
There were people everywhere, all of their friends and families. While her fathers side had nobody (Willa and her family were cut off) her mom had many siblings, cousins and friends who had children that grew up with the girls. Her dad had his friends, his business associates and clients who got to know the family and watched Sara grow up.
It was funny, because Sara always faded into the background with these kinds of get-togethers, most people didn't really care. But now, all eyes were on her and Justin, and they were both uncomfortable, it was a classic case of being careful what you wish for.
Back in Oregon, Mark and Holly threw a casual barbecue get together with Justin's side. His buddies from Oregon came, and Sara found herself blending in with them all so well. She laughed at the jokes and old stories they told, and teased Justin making him bright red at times. Her family didn't come to that, and she was glad as she didn't want to overwhelm the Herbert family at their house.
But now, they were all in her territory. Patrick and Mitch and their girlfriends, eyes widened at the big house that sat on secluded acre land. "Oh my god." Sara groaned as Justin drove up on the pebble-stone driveway.
Big white balloons were tied to the mailbox. Flowers lined up the driveway. Pink roses, her favorite. Cars were already parked, which meant a ton of people. Guests were already on the side of the house underneath a tent. There was a bartender with a full bar. Patrick laughed as he saw more balloons of rings and 'she said yes' sign above the door. "Oh man, we are wayyy out of our element."
Once parked and out of the car, they walked into the house, where tons of people were chatting. A sign that was held on a canopy.
Celebrate two lives becoming one,
Welcome to Justin & Sara's Engagement Party.
"There's the bride and groom!" Her uncle shouted, and all eyes were on them. They were passed around in hugs. Next thing they knew they were wearing 'Bride' and 'Groom' sashes (Sara knew Justin would never hear the end of it from his brothers)
Cathy introduced the Herbert family to everyone and quickly, they understood why Sara stayed away.
"We never thought she was going to find someone!"
"Can't believe she is going to be getting married! When I saw she adopted her cat I told my husband we should start worrying."
The group all laughed and Justin was immediately uncomfortable. "So tell us, son." Another guy continued. "Why her? I mean professional athletes you could have supermodels! I don't understand it."
Justin had enough. "Well you don't have to understand anything. We love each other and she's the most beautiful woman inside and out. Now excuse me." He walked away from the group to find Sara, heading into the kitchen where he ran Into his mom and dad speaking with one of her cousins. Once she walked away they turned to her son. "Wow. Her extended family sure is…" Holly started.
"Interesting." Justin finished. Not wanting to really say what he was thinking.
"How on God's name is Sara so cool and she comes from a family like this?" Patrick walked up with Carly.
"Patrick!" Carly scolded.
"What? It's true." Pat shrugged. "It is. But we don't need to say it out loud." Carly took a sip of her drink.
"Did you know what her cousin just said to us?" Mark scoffed. "Boy aren't you glad that the bride's family is paying. You wouldn't be able to afford all of this." He mocked her voice. Everyone's eyes widened. "What?" Justin's face was stern.
"That's nothing. Isabelle is calming Mitch down after what one of the old wall street dudes said about Sara." Justin faced his younger brother. "What did he say?"
"Uh.. it should probably wait til we leave." Carly saw Justin's anger and hoped her boyfriend got the hint."
He didn't. "He made a disgusting comment about hoping Sara went with a form fitting dress, one that accentuated her… he said her gifted chest…" He trailed off, not wanting to totally repeat the gross comment about his future sister in law.
Justin's face was red. "Point him out. I want to talk to him." Mark grabbed him. "Son now is not the time or place. Let's just get through this evening."
"Hey guys! Having fun?" Sara walked up to the group,and instantly everyone could see Justin look relaxed. She looked gorgeous, in a white jumpsuit with white lace heels. Her hair was styled to perfection. Justin squeezed her hand. "Yes babe, everything is great."
"Oh there they are! The bride and groom to be!" Two middle aged women walked up and hugged Sara. "Linda, Delilah, this is my fiance Justin, his parents Mark and Holly and his brother Patrick and his girlfriend Carly. Where's Mitch and Isabelle?" She looked around. "I Guess they are around somewhere, but these are my mom's friends."
"Congratulations baby girl!"  The two ladies smiled, then addressed the others. "We watched her grow up. To be honest, we thought she would never find someone!"
Justin bit his lip, this was the theme of the night. Everyone just loved to mention how they thought it was impossible for Sara to find someone. Sara just smiled. "Yeah that's what everyone has been saying."
"I mean, can you blame us?" They laughed, while the Herbert family stayed quiet. "So anyways. Where are you having the wedding? Mansions in the fifth are beautiful for weddings. Or are you thinking of New York like Ryan and Michelle?"
Sara smiled. "Actually. We are getting married in Oregon, at the golf course hotel off the coast" She looked up at Justin, who smiled down at her.
The one wrinkled her nose. "Sweetie, not there, Oregon is so redneck, and just not it. Trust me, you cannot have a nice wedding in Oreg-"
"Justin and his family live in Eugene." Sara bit back. Linda's eyes widened. "Oh really? Wow I'm so sorry. Well I'm sure it's beautiful if you live there." She covered up her insult with another insult. She then changed topics. "I see you haven't eaten."
"Oh I'm going to make a plate, I've been running around greeting everyone-"
"Well that's a good thing. You need as much weight off as you can to fit in the dress. I can actually give you the name of Macy's trainer, she will make you the thinnest you have ever been!" She pinched Sara's arm. "Tone up those arms!"
"Linda! Delilah! Can you help me with something?" Cathy called over her friends and they left. Holly addressed Sara. "Are you okay?"
Sara shook her head. "Yeah why do you ask?" Justin put his arms on her shoulders.  Mark cut in. "Those comments they made, and everyone else."
"Oh those! Yeah trust me I got used to it. I've heard shit like that my whole life." She grabbed a champagne flute off a waiter's tray. "If they say anything to you. Please let me know. I'll put them in their place."
Mark shook his head. "You shouldn't have to deal with that."
She waved her hand. "It's fine. Why do you think we chose Bandon Dunes?" She looked at Justin and he smiled at her. "The max is 190 people, but we will probably only have 100. Keep it close to family and friends."
"Have you two chosen the bridal party yet?" Holly asked.
"Yes, it's going to be 8 people on both sides. Our ask boxes are done, we just need to hand them out." Justin looked at Pat, "You and Mitch are obviously my best men."
Before they could say anything else Cathy yelled for the family to join in pictures. They had a professional photographer gather both immediate family and their partners, gathered under the big balloon arch. Then it was Sara's side, then Justin's then just the soon to be married couple and their parents. Once that was done Justin was pulled to have a celebratory cigar with Mike and his friends/business partners, while Sara was in the kitchen with her mom and sisters.
"So you guys settled on a venue? In Oregon." Sara didn't miss the tone of disappointment in her moms voice. She knew that it bothered Cathy that her youngest became closer to her fiance's side of the family. Sara popped a grape from the table in her mouth. "Yes, it's more low-key, and it's on a golf course. Plus it will be more convenient for Justin's family."
The Wozniak's had a ton of money, whereas the Herbert's were just a middle class family. So Sara wanted to be more accommodating to his family. Plus she was hoping it would deter a lot of friends and family from coming. She wanted to enjoy her day, Katie and Brittany spent most of their time going around and talking to people and thanking them. Alyssa had a small Vineyard wedding and got to enjoy her day.
That was what she wanted.
"There are so many gorgeous golf courses and hotels around the area. With all your connections and us paying for it. We could easily have four hundred people." Sara practically choked on her drink. "Yeah… uh that sounds terrible. But also mom, me and Justin can pay for our wedding."
"There's no doubt about that… but we didn't pay for your college.." She trailed off and everyone knew what she meant.
"It's fine. I got this. The venue is booked, I'm meeting with Valentino to design my dress. Justin and I have our bridal party picked. Our wedding planner is set. Easy peasy."
Brent walked up, hearing the last of the conversation. "Oh you naive fool." He kissed his sister in law on the cheek. "Sorry I'm late, you look gorgeous." He held up a bridal gift bag. "I'll set this on the massive gift pile in the dining room."
Sara was shocked. "I thought I said no gifts!" She followed Brent to the dining room and gasped as she saw the massive pile of perfectly wrapped presents, bags, and envelopes covering the massive table.
Brent snorted. "These people never listen. Any chance they can to flex their money they will." He laughed as he looked over the pile. "Damn I see a Waterford Crystal bag. Alyssa and I didn't even get that."
She laughed. She loved Brent, and Justin got along with him well, so well that he planned on asking the hockey player to be in his party.
—-----------------------------------------------------------------
Mike passed around Cigars to the group of trustees or whatever they were. Mark and Mitch were there, Mark taking one Justin and Mitch refused. He wasn't a smoker, it was way too toxic. Luckily Mike didn't press the issue. "Isn't Cathy going to be upset?" Justin raised his brows as he watched the group light theirs. Mike shrugged. "What Cathy doesn't know won't hurt her, besides I've done this with all of my daughters' weddings."
Charles walked up and took one of the cigars from the box on the patio furniture. Overlooking the crowd, one of the men spoke up. "Thought we'd never see the day Mike. I always thought Alyssa was the last one."
Mike nodded. "Believe me I thought that too." He clapped Justin on the back. "You sure you can handle her son?"
Justin laughed. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't love her."
"I'm glad. She deserves someone like you." Mike took a puff.
Another older, pudgy man cut in. "See my son over there?" Justin followed his finger to see a man in his thirties, scowling at Sara, who was a few tables over talking to her friends "He has the biggest crush on her. I tried to set them up but your daughter wasn't interested."
Justin's turn to scowl. How inappropriate was that to say in front of her fiancé? Suddenly he remembered Sara talking about a man hitting on her and attempting to set her up with his kid. Was this the guy from the steakhouse?
Mike shook his head. "Oh for the love of God let it go. You have been trying to set them up since they were teenagers. She doesn't want your son. They were interrupted by someone calling for Mike and he excused himself.
After a few minutes of silence the pudgy man kept talking. "You're a lucky son of bitch Justin."
His eyebrows rose. "I know." He spoke icily. He was hoping the man dropped it after that.
"The way she's going to fill out that dress is gonna be the main attraction for sure."
Maybe it was the fact that this dude knew Sara as a small child and was now saying inappropriate things about her, maybe it was the alcohol, or the fact that all afternoon he has to listen to the love of his life get cut up and made fun of and he finally snapped.
Before anyone could say anything, Justin was in the guy's face. Everyone around was frozen in fear. "Listen." He spoke slowly. "You will never get to see how MY WIFE looks on her day because you and your son won't be invited, and if you say one more comment about her I will throw you over this porch. I don't give a fuck if youre my father in laws associates. In fact I think he wouldn't take very kindly to you talking about his daughter like that, or the night at the steakhouse. Understood?" The older man's eyes widened, confirming he was the steakhouse guy.
The man, terrified, nodded. "Um yes. Umm I think me and Jonathan should go. Congratulations again." He walked off to gather his wife and son. Justin turned to the other men who had looks of shock on their faces. "That goes for all of you too. Understood?" They all nodded and went their separate ways besides Mark and Mitch. Justin was breathing heavily and Mark went to comfort him. "Good job son, that guy was an ass."
"Is everything okay?" They all looked to see Sara coming up the steps, looking worried as she approached Justin. "Gerald and Jonathan just came up to me asking what I saw in you?"
He saw red. Quickly turning, he went to find him but was held back by Sara, or as much as she could. "Hey hey baby what's wrong?" She got in front of him and stared at him with her big brown eyes and he felt himself melt. Bending down to kiss her, he blushed when the cheers of the crowd that had gathered around them.
"Awww that's so cute!"
"Practicing for the big day I see!"
—-------------------------------------------------------------------
"You both look gorgeous!" Pierpaolo greeted Sara and grabbed her hand to admire the ring. "Stunning. It fits you so well, and with the emeralds!" He looked at Justin. "You sir, did an excellent job!"
He blushed. "My brother's girlfriend helped a lot, I just knew I had to incorporate emeralds somehow."
The designer hummed. "Are the wedding bands going to have them too?"
"We were talking about it. We had a virtual consultation with the jeweler about the bands." Sara cut in.
"You can tell us all about it, come on! We have a lot of people wanting to celebrate with you!" He ushered the couple to the backyard of his massive mansion. Once the Pittsburgh celebration was over, Pierpaolo and his family insisted on a luncheon to celebrate their engagement.
Of course Sara insisted he keep it small, but designers never listened, and all of Sara's celeb friends, as well as others who just wanted it to be there for a social event were there.
Sara sensed Justin's anxiousness and grabbed his hand as they made it out to the backyard. They were dressed for the occasion, with Sara wearing a white halter dress mixed with green that Valentino designed, the straps made up of diamonds. Her hair was done up and she looked gorgeous. Justin looked handsome as well in a tailored suit.
They were met with tons of greetings from Timothee, Rosie and Jason, AnnSophie, Bella, and others. There were about fifty people, and it seemed small and intimate. Everyone mingled, and then they all sat down for a four course meal. While enjoying their meal Rosie spoke. "So I was doing a cover shoot for vogue and I overheard something from Anna."
Pierpaolo gasped. "You know Anna would blacklist you if she heard you speaking about confidential matters."
She waved her hand, "Please. But anyways, Anna wants to do a massive vogue feature on your wedding!"
Sara's eyes widened while Justin nearly choked on his wine. "Oh wow. That's amazing. I will definitely have to consider it."
"What's there to consider? Do you know how many people would love that! Plus they would set you up big. You know Anna, she would make sure that you have the best venue. Beverly Hills has the best hotel for weddings. It hosts for 500 people, plus Wolfgang Puck would cater."
Sara pushed her salad around. "I mean, we have already decided to get married in Justin’s home state, more private and lowkey."
"Well I suppose Anna could do something with that. You're from Washington right? She acknowledged Justin.
"Oregon, actually."
"Ooh that's different, I've never been there before, so Jason and I will have fun exploring when we arrive. Justin's eyebrows shot up. He glanced briefly at Sara, who was trying to hold back a small laugh. "Yeah its beautiful."
The rest of the night went by smoothly. Finally they departed, using Justin’s excuse to get ready for camp. Pierpaolo assistants loaded their car with gifts from the guest. Apparently no one liked to listen
When they got home, they tacked on the boxes in the guest room (they still haven't opened the ones from Pittsburgh, but Sara sent out thank you notes)
Justin looked over at Sara, "I'm off tomorrow before camp starts, should we tear these babies open?" Not saying a word, she walked over to the fridge and opened it. She held up a bottle of their favorite wine. "We need some encouragement to open these, especially from my family."
Taking sips straight from the bottle, Justin grabbed all of the gifts from the guest bed and began to open them. They opened the cards first and were pleased to see that whoever gave money to local charities in their honor.
The first box was wrapped delicately and while all of them were most likely professionally wrapped, there was a homey touch to this and Sara squealed knowing exactly who this was from. It was from her Great Aunt Kay, who at the age of ninety, still had a very sharp mind and could quilt with the best of them. All of the nieces that married were given a king sized quilt made by her, showing their personalities. They opened it and unfolded the custom quilt. It was white, with silver edges and in cursive at one corner, Justin and Sara Herbert.
"Wow." Justin whispered, feeling the luxurious material. He had met her Aunt Kay at the engagement party, and she was the sweetest lady. "This is beautiful." Taking it from Sara, he draped it over their bed before returning back to the pile where Eugene and Nova were inspecting to see if any of the gifts were for them. "Spoiled brats." Sara shooed them away, only for them to come straight back.
Justin grabbed the next gift, which was very oddly shaped and untied the bow, opening the purple wrapping, it was a gift basket that someone had put together.
Candles, crystals, prenatal vitamins, and pregnancy tests? "uhh" He turned it to face his fiancé, whose eyes widened. "Oh my god that's from my cousin Siobhan! She's a doula and very into all that! She gave my sister's one! It's all good luck with fertility!" She shook her head, "all of the women on my moms side including my sisters have gotten pregnant in the first six months! It's something of a weird tradition."
He laughed and tore the clear wrapping to get a better look at everything. He looked at the crystals as she explained each one relating to pregnancy and childbirth. "I didn't know you were into crystals"
She shrugged. "I mean I'm not an avid believer, but I think there is some truth, and she constantly talks about them all the time." There were two boxes of clearblue pregnancy tests, a small gray bear, and two candles as well as pregnancy booklets.
"Yeah those are definitely going in storage. We agreed on no kids until at least the first year." He nodded and put it off to the side before continuing.
There were household items, which was silly because living together they had pretty much acquired everything. Sara unboxed a big sign that read 'The Herbert's' established 2025. She giggled as Justin rolled his eyes at the corny item. Sara opened a grill kit followed by a voucher for a cooking class. Justin frowned. "You're a great cook." She laughed. "I think it's a case of something we can both do." Along the lines there were a ton of marriage books, cook books. Sara blushed as she pulled out tons of lingerie and skimpy night shirts, Justin examining every piece. "Oh my god!" She cried out pulling out a powder blue lace baby doll piece. It was completely see through, and the underwear was like a jersey with 'Herbert' and '10' on the butt.
He hummed as Sara held it up to her. "I'm definitely tearing that off. Matter of fact I think you should model it right now, make sure everything fits." He smiled. "If it doesn't I can rip it right now." He laughed as he dodged the balled up wrapping paper she threw at him.
After everything from her family and friends were opened they moved on to the small boxes from celebrities. Immediately Justin was floored. "Rolex watches? Who the fuck gives Rolex watches as an engagement gift."
Sara laughed. "Hollywood does." She opened a crystal vase, no doubt very expensive.
There was a grand total of at least $500,000 in gifts and despite being with Sara two years, he wasn't used to it. He almost fainted when Sara took him to meet Christopher Nolan.
Justin opened the last gift, which was a PR package. "Hell yes!" It was tons of Nike clothing, which included matching Bride and Groom Nike sweats for him and Sara. "This is awesome! I'll wear this on our wedding day!"
"You wear that at the altar and I'll walk backwards."
—--------------------------------------------------------------
Wedding planning was no joke.
It was October, and Justin was on a high professionally. The Chargers were ahead of the  Chiefs in the division, thanks to the win against them on the road.
However, personally, he was very worried.
Sara was working on promotional events, followed by wedding planning. He tried to help as much as he could by picking out the place settings (he didn't even know that was a thing) food. (Some people were vegetarian/vegan, others had dietary restrictions.) They finalized the dessert buffet and picked out the cake and the flavors.
He knew that her family was giving her a hard time about the location. They were worried her Aunt Kay wouldn't be able to travel to the west coast and in the midst of an argument with one of her sisters they called her selfish which left her in tears. (Justin had a mind to fly to Pittsburgh and give them a piece of his mind)
Then there was the issue of the officiant. Justin wasn't tied to any denomination, but Sara was technically raised catholic and made all of her sacraments, so they wanted her to be married in a church. That meant Justin would have to take classes and be baptized, and he would be willing to do it, but with the demands of the season it would mean punishing the whole wedding back a year. Something both he and his fiance didn't want.
The biggest upset was that Sara was in Cannes promoting a new film she was in. On an off day she went diving with some friends and was wearing a bikini.
There were pictures, and edited ones to make her look bad to the press. The comments calling her fat, her social media comments had to be limited, and she had to take a break.
Not to mention Taylor was taking joy in this She was throwing subtle shade at Sara in every way, so much so that there were news articles written about it.
She wore similar outfits that Sara wore and put shady captions, and liked comments that were trashing her. Justin wasn't stupid, he knew that got to her. While they were very much past it, it still hurt her to see her being attacked so lowly.
When he confronted his fiancé, she laughed it off, saying she had the ring and she was nothing but a jealous bitch. He knew her like the back of his hand. Not to mention her actions spoke otherwise.  
When she wasn't away she was constantly in the Chargers gym working out, she would come with him early in the morning and be a sweating, panting mess by the time he would check in on her.
It was so noticeable that a trainer pulled him aside. "We need to talk about Sara…." He started. "I know this is probably not my place, but she is overexerting herself. She got off the treadmill today and she nearly collapsed. I gave her a Gatorade but she refused, saying it's too much sugar."
"Oh my god." Justin walked by him and off the field, and quickly found one of the rooms, where Sara was hunched over, seemingly struggling to breathe.
He called out for help, and got down on his knees. "Baby. What's wrong?" The team doctor was there immediately and got Sara to sit up. He shined a light in her eyes before pinching the skin on her arm. "She's dehydrated, not enough electrolytes." The doctor shook his head. "We got to get you into the room so I can start an IV. Can you walk?"
She nodded, still breathing heavily before standing up for a second and falling back, immediately Justin lifted her in his arms and carried her to the recovery room, where the doctor started an IV. "Have you eaten today?"
She nodded. "I had a hard boiled egg and some avocado toast" the doctor shook his head, and the trainer spoke. "She's been on the stairmaster for an hour."
Justin's eyes widened. "Babe!" He looked over at her, who looked down "that is enough for that much workout. You know how I eat "
"I'm sorry, okay! Me and all of the bridesmaids got measurements this Wednesday for our dresses! I wanna look good."
"And you will! Sara I'm still going to be at the end of the aisle no matter what!" He shook his head. "Please, If you want to tone up that's fine. But this way isn't healthy and you know it."
At this point it was just the two of them in the room. She looked down. "I'm sorry, I'm just stressed. Everyone and everything is coming down on me, and work too."
"I'm sorry I haven't been around to help." She sighed. "It's not you, you have been more involved than most men, and you've been taking care of everything on your side with the groomsmen. I really didn't know what I was up against."
"What is the final count with the guest list?"
"Two hundred and fifteen people." Sorting out the list was hard. Justin's family was pretty decent sized. Sara didn't have too many family, but she did have friends, and so did he, plus Mike and Cathy did get to invite a couple family friends who Sara actually liked. They invited Jerry and his wife, both management teams, some of Justin's teammates and coaches and other people from the celebrity world. He snorted. "We can only hope many people don't come."
She laughed and he smiled, before kissing her quickly. "I'm taking you home" and then when I get off I'll bring home dinner. What do you want?"
"Salad sounds good." He gave her a look. He also knew she was dieting like crazy, when he noticed the absence of certain foods in the house. She sighed. "A burger and fries please. With a side salad."
He smiled. "There's my girl." I'll be right back
@DanielPopper: Herbert was called off of the field for a bit. He's back on now, maybe had something to do with his fiance, who I'm told has been coming to practices.
@user1: sounds excessive
@user2: why is she even there? So worried your man is going to cheat?
@user3: @user 2 Maybe she just wanted to spend time with him?
@user4: I don't understand why he chose her over Biscotti.
Liked by Taylor biscotti
—----------------------------------------------------------
"Doesn't she have a man? Why is she still so concerned with yours?" AnnSophie was helping taste test some of the food. The hotel, excited to host a marriage for the King of the state and his a list bride, where more than accommodating. Allowing them to bring in their own chef and catering for the day and shutting down the hotel for the weekend. Sara and Justin paid a decent price and would make sure to tip and send a thank you note to all the staff when it was all said and done.
"I don't know." Sara took a bite of the mushroom soup as one of the starters. "Ooh Annie this one is soo good!"  Her friend stuck her fork into the bowl and tasted it. "That is delicious. Does Justin like mushrooms?" Sara made a face. "I think so.." shooting a quick text to her fiance, she sighed. "I swear we should have eloped like you guys."
Her friend laughed, "Once the hoopla and the shock dies down its worth it. My mom's still pissed though." Sara rolled her eyes. "Yeah but your mom is a bitch and never liked Joey and tried to keep you guys apart."
"True." Sara's phone dinged and she picked it up. Reading the message, she wrinkled her nose. "Justin said no mushroom soup. He likes chicken noodles."
"How about you put the menu choices on the invitations? Let the guests decide?"
"And what If they don't mark anything?" Her friend shrugged. "Then they get what they get." Sara's phone dinged again and she grabbed it. "Oh it's Bella sending me a photo of her dress!" For the bridesmaids Valentino made sure they were done first and quickly. Sara chose sage green, satin material, and a loose, comfortable fit. They were beautiful, and so far the bridesmaids loved them. She was a little worried for her sisters and Isabelle, who had to send in their measurements because they were on the east coast. But Pierpaolo was a genius, and every girl looked gorgeous in their gown.
"So what is the timeline for the ceremony?" Sara was marking stuff down to send to catering. "Well, our ceremony is at 3:00pm. Give people and us enough time to get ready and take pictures, then cocktail hour is 3:30ish, then the reception starts at 4:30-9pm, then the after party begins at 9:15pm" She smiled devilishly. She wanted a few hours of debauchery with their friends and to play whatever music she wanted. "Get this, it's gonna be somewhat of a throwback 2010s emo party."
"No fucking way!" AnnSophie's eyes widened. "That's so cool!" Sara nodded. "And best believe me, I'm dancing on Justin."
"Girl he is going to be so red!" She nodded evilly. "I'm twerking on him for sure!"
—-------------------------------------------------------------
"So your mom sent me a copy of the vows she wanted the minister to read." Justin got into bed after a long day. Sara looked up from her IPad. "Oh god." She rolled her eyes and pet Nova, who was laying on her stomach. "I told her I didn't want a catholic ceremony. You know how long those are? An hour! Not to mention there is nothing personal about the couple! It's the same Bible verses and music! And my heels are sky high! I'm not standing that long!"
He laughed before pulling the text up on his phone. "I told her the ceremony is about thirty minutes, and we need the time for our vows. She wasn't too happy about that. But here it is." He gave her his phone and she read it, her nose wrinkling. "What's up?"
"For you it says 'love and honor you' , for me it says 'love, honor, and obey.' I'm not obeying shit, I don't even obey my dad." Justin busted out laughing. "You were sure to obey last week." He nuzzled his face in her neck and knew she was red.
"Well I'll just tell everyone I'm only obeying in the bedroom." He pulled back. "You wouldn't."
She laughed. "Watch me."  He growled and bit a spot on her neck and she squealed. "You know the week of the wedding you cant leave any bites"
He huffed. "What's the point of a fancy expensive makeup artist then?" She swatted at him. "Have you gotten the suits?"
"Yes. What about the bridesmaid dresses?"
She nodded. "They all pretty much have theirs, I'm going to New York next week with my mom, Katie, and Brittany  for the first dress fitting." She smiled. "I'm excited. I trust Pierpaolo with my vision."
"Can I get a peak?" She looked at him like he had four heads. "Absolutely not. You don't get to see my dress until the day." He huffed and she laughed. He tried a different tactic, snuggling into her neck. "Please." He whispered before kissing her neck. She moaned as he dragged his lips to a particular spot he knew she lined. "Just at least tell me some hints"
She needed a few minutes to get her thoughts together but then finally spoke. "It's A- line style, lace" He stopped and sat up. "I have to Google it." He admitted and she busted out laughing. "Baby please wait until the first look. I promise it will be worth the wait."
He smiled. "You always look good. So I'm extremely excited."
—---------------------------------------------------------------------
"Oh Sara" Cathy gasped as Sara came out of the dressing room and stepped up on the platform, the assistant carrying the cathedral train. "God it feels so real seeing you in the dress." Brittany wiped her eyes, Katie was holding the phone as Alyssa was on facetime back in St.Louis.
Upon looking at herself in the mirror, it did feel real. Standing in the dress she would be wearing as both parents walked her down the aisle. Sara found herself getting emotional as this was the dress she always pictured herself in. It was simple, not too much for an outdoor ceremony by the coast. It was off the shoulder, hiding her broadness, it had a slight train and Pierpaolo suggested a long, cathedral lace veil.
It was a-line, like she wanted, not too puffy, but enough to give her the princess feel and still flatter her shape. "Now how are we doing the hair?" The assistant asked as she fluffed the train. Sara thought about it. "I honestly don't know, I have a hair trial tomorrow with Jonathan." Jonathan Van Ross was one of Sara's friends who offered his services for the wedding. "He thinks I should do a half up, half down thing. Like Kate Middleton"
Her mom cut in. "I still think we should do a soft updo. Sara sighed. "Well we will see tomorrow, don't forget to visit the jeweler for the wedding pieces, and the florist for the flowers and bouquets."
Once the appointment was finished, and the assistant made the final markings of where it needed to be tailored and with the custom made sky high heels Sara was in (she needed all the height standing next to Justin at the altar) Sara and her mom and sisters were walking the streets of New York. It was still early morning, so many people were on their way to work and couldn't stop and notice the famous celebrity bundled up in the chilly air.
The shrill ring of her phone began playing, and Sara looked to see it was Vogue's office, she sighed and answered. "Hello?"
"Hello Ms. Wozniak, I am the personal assistant to Anna Wintour, and she requested you and your family's presence at her brownstone for lunch this afternoon." Sara's eyes widened. Stopping to look back at her group, she put her hand on the mouth piece. "Anna Wintour wants us to have lunch with her later at her place."
"What!" Even after almost ten years of their sister being famous they were still in awe of the megastar she was. Who just gets invited to The editor of vogue's house on a whim? They nodded and she went back to her phone. "Yes, we accept. Um, what time should we be there?"
"Anna will send a car for you all to the hotel at noon." Okay so they had three hours. She didn't know how Anna knew they were all in town or what hotel they were at. Probably someone from the Valentino team tipped her off.
Window shopping was limited, but they managed to make it back to their hotel and be ready by the time the limo arrived. They walked to the car amid all the photographers outside, and their cars following them.
They were ushered inside the massive brownstone. Servants were walking briskly and carrying trays. "Wow." Katie whispered.
Upon walking into the living room, there were greeted by Anna herself, always fashionable and looking like she belonged in vogue herself. After exchanging greetings, they were relocated in the dining room. Anna immediately began asking Sara about wedding planning.
Sara cringed inside as the food was being placed in front of them. Lemon arugula salad and champagne for the first course. She now knew why Anna called her up at the last minute and insisted she and her family come.
She turned down the vogue offer shortly after Rosie mentioned overhearing the news. An extravagant, luxurious box came in the mail. It was a spa package for her and Justin, full of the most expensive facials and massage treatments from around the world. "What the hell is a gold facial?" Justin asked when reading the description, his eyes widened at the price he looked up. "Worth $500,000!"
Sara had wanted to send it back, but Heidi strongly advised against it, saying. "You can turn down the front cover offer, but you NEVER ever return a girl sent front Vogue or Anna herself. You will get blacklisted from all fashion shows." Thankfully Heidi worked in fashion PR before working for celebs.
She had hand written a note to Anna appreciating the offer and the gift, but at this time she would have to decline. Word spread around the fashion world and the press fast, and while many people praised Sara for wanting a private wedding and not wanting it splashed everywhere, others critiqued her for thinking people cared that much. They called her an entitled bitch, and Justin didn't escape critics. They blamed him for her changing herself. (Which was ridiculous, Sara was always a private person before him) but then NFL critics came after him, this was no surprise, as many people came after him, Bosa, and even Josh Allen, who was engaged to Hailee Steinfeld one of Sara's friends, of trying to be the next Brady.
It was ridiculous, and stupid. Sara wasn't going to be totally private. She understood that guests were going to take and share pictures, and she was fine with that, but she didn't want a whole spread and sell pictures for money and all that.
For some reason Anna didn't get that. "I love the fact that you're including so much of your fiancé's hometown in there. I must say, we never covered a celebrity wedding in Oregon."
And you won't Sara wanted to bite back, but she knew she had to be careful and respectful. Though she was an A list celebrity whose new film was getting Oscar buzz, Anna still had so much power and influence over the biggest connections, so she had to tread lightly. She wished Heidi was here, or someone from her team but this wasn't meant to be a business trip in any way. Anna knew that, so this was an opportunity to catch the star at a vulnerable moment.
Anna continued. "I can just see it now, you in your dress, and your fiancé, looking so handsome, posing overlooking the ocean with fireworks."
Sara took a sip of her cocktail waiting for her to continue, beside her, her mom and sisters were uncomfortable. It was clear that Anna had no plans to address them at all. The editor continued. "We can make the arrangement work. Although when we came to you back in July, we could have booked the Villa Pozzolo in Italy, seating over three hundred people."
"While that was much appreciated, Justin and I are sorta keeping it towards friends and family. We just want to be surrounded by people we know and love."
Anna hummed while taking a sip of her tea. "I noticed you haven't taken a bite of the food." Sara looked down at her plate. She had only taken a few bites while others had eaten. It was probably all of the knots in her stomach. "I'm not really an arugula person." Out of nowhere plates were taken away and replaced with a small cup of soup. "I kept the portions small. You look so good with your weight loss. I don't want to destroy your diet and force Pierpaolo to make all of these changes. Your dress is too gorgeous to make last minute alterations." How the fuck did she know what her dress looked like? "It is beautiful, exactly what  I wanted." Sara smiled.
"And just think, one of our photographers would capture every angle beautifully. Plus a full spread. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity."
"And I acknowledge that, and I'm super honored for thinking of us, but we want this day to be about us celebrating with friends and family. Plus there are so many people attending that would not feel comfortable by all of this. I want everyone to relax and enjoy the day."
Anna pursed her lips, a tell tale sign she wasn't happy. "And you think your guests wouldn't be too happy with our presence? A day that is about you and you're worried about your guests?"
"Well yeah, I mean not all of them are used to this celebrity. I mean it was the main reason that Justin and I split when our relationship came to light. It's a lot for me sometimes, and I'm in this business." Sara didn't like to bring up the past in her relationship. In fact, this was the first time she spoke publicly to an outside member about the breakup. But fuck, this woman wasn't talking no for an answer.
She shook her head. "I swear I've always stood by celebs not mixing with athletes, but you can't help who you fall in love with I guess." They were interrupted by the waiter again, taking away the small soup and replacing it with a small portion of salmon. Ignoring the implied insult Sara continued. "We just don't really want all of this media attention, people can post photos and all of that. But we aren't going to be seeking out magazine specials."
Anna nodded again. "But you must at least allow us to cover the venue and give us small details. Maybe an official photo to post on our social media?"
It was never going to end. Anna was determined to get her way. Sara knew early on that was one of the main reasons she became editor in chief.
"I'll think about it." —-------------------------------------------------------------------
"I cant believe she was so insistent, why couldn't she take no for an answer?"
Isabelle and Sara were sitting outside her office. After she and her family left Anna's, Sara dropped everyone off at the airport. Once that was done, her stomach rumbled once the knots faded away and she realized she hadn't really eaten anything at the brownstone. It was still lunchtime, and she was close to Isabelle's office, so she called up her bridesmaid and they met for lunch. Sara giving her the recap of everything that happened. "I don't know, but she won't stand down. And I feel like I'm going to have to give in on something. Even if we have a minor feature, but I know they are going to take over. They want security so one gets a sneak peak of the ceremony before they post it, then everyone there is on edge."
Isabelle nodded. "I know, you guys had to tell his cousin to lock down their profile, and delete a bunch of people." Last year, she posted a summer recap, one photo included Justin and Sara snuggling on the beach, it was screenshotted and posted everywhere within a couple of hours. She received tons of messages asking about the couple, so she had to take it down and make some major changes. "I don't know, I just don't want to be this typical celeb. I want to make sure Justin’s friends and family love me."
"Sara, they absolutely do love you" Some friends of his had issues with the press when Sara came around, and she became a bit of bad gossip. It got back to her and Justin and he explained that this was his world and if they didn't like it they could distance themselves. Sara felt bad, and Justin had to reassure her that he didn't talk to those friends outside of the state. It was his good friends who didn't care, and they were now in the wedding party.
"I know, I guess all of this stress is getting to me. Justin and I should just run away to Scotland and elope. Someone's wedding video popped up on my YouTube and it was beautiful. I thought I wanted this wedding, but I just want to be married, and have his name already."
"You're taking his last name?" Sara nodded as she took a bite. "Yeah, I know everyone is sorta against that. But it's only personally I'll be known as Sara Herbert, professionally I'll stay Wozniak." She and Justin had agreed to the change. Call her old fashioned but she loved the idea of taking her husband's last name. It was sorta unifying. "I'm just sick of all these people acting like it's their wedding, or they have a right to be there. It's not a celebrity star studded event, it's not a chance for the elite to show off how much money they have or a fashion show. It's my fucking wedding!"
"Speaking of famous." Isabelle nodded to her left, following her glance, she saw in the distance A man hiding behind a long angled lens pointing in their direction. Sighing, they wrapped up their lunch and bid their goodbyes.
—---------------------------------------------------------------------
It was always nice to be home.
It was December 1st,  the wedding almost 5 months away. Bridesmaids and grooms attire was finished. Pierpaolo and his team did an amazing job making sure everything was tailored. All there was left to do was keep up with fitting so nothing had to be changed last minute. Her dress and veil were almost finished. Venue was picked out, cake was customized and ordered. Final guest list was completed, just needed to approve invitations and send them out, but that wouldn't be till February.
Speaking of, the Chargers were on top of the AFC, there was serious talk about them possibly going all of the way. Sara never mentioned it to Justin, but she felt like this was the team's year. It would be perfect and chaotic, her and Justin both getting rings.
November was the busiest month for the couple. Sara was all around Europe doing talk shows, finishing touches on a movie with Andrew Garfield, who was the most pleasant and respectful man she had ever worked with. Then there was the Lord Huron release party for the album in Los Angeles, then she had to be back in Oregon to check on venue prep, then it was back to New York for a photoshoot.
She had never been so tired in her life as she got in the door. Justin was in Texas for his SNF game and she was hoping to nap for a while so she could stay up and watch.
Unfortunately that wasn't the case, as her phone rang and she saw it was the planner. She stood there for a moment before deciding to pick it up. "Hello?"
"Hi sara." She sounded nervous over the phone. Uh oh. "What is it? I'm so tired, so this better be good."
"So uhh someone in your wedding party dropped out."
"Huh? Who?" Sara knew her entire party, and while she would be concerned, she would also rip them a new asshole for not telling her and instead going to her planner.
"It's the officiant." Her eyebrows drew together in concern. "Deacon Rodgers? Justin's family's preacher. I don't understand, Justin told me everything was fine on that end. He was supposed to come visit us next week!"
"Well he just informed me today he had some family issues and would not be able to officiate the wedding. Now the problem is everyone is booked because it is a four month notice. Everyone requires at least six months in advance."
Sara felt like she was going to have a full on bridezilla meltdown. She had done a good job keeping calm when things went wrong. Like Alyssa telling her that Brent might now be able to make it because of the NHL playoffs schedule going into June, her mom trying to invite all of their friends. Her dad wanting to pay for everything, wanting to make up for lost time. It was nice, but exhausting. In all honesty she was used to being ignored. She found solace in Justin's family. While she loved being close to hers, it was just chaos. Mark and Holly were just quiet people, they didn't have the money that the Wozniak's did, but they had each other.
Back to the issue at hand, she told her planner that she would deal with it, right now she just wanted to rest and watch Justin's game. After hanging up, her phone rang again, this time it was a three way call with her manager and agent, reminding her she had an appearance on a popular talk show promoting her guest appearance on Law and Order.
She washed her face and did her nighttime routine, even though it was the afternoon. Sara put down the blackout curtains so the room was dark. "Nova Eugene! Knock it off." She heard the cats stop wrestling, and within a few moments she was out.
—-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Baby. Wake up." She felt soft kisses on her face. Justin was home, she adjusted her eyes to the dark. "What time is it?"
He looked over at the clock on his nightstand. "2am. Did you see the game?" She shook her head. "Shit. I slept so long I was supposed to get up to watch. I guess I was more tired than I thought." He laughed and kissed her. "Go back to sleep babe."
Too late, she was wide awake now. "Well I slept for like 12 hours. I'm not tired anymore." Feeling mischievous and needing to relieve some stress, she climbed on top of Justin and began kissing him. "It's been a bad day, and I just want to forget." Pulling down his briefs, Justin flipped them over so he was on top. He missed her so much, and now that she was home with little to no obligations for quite some time he was excited to spend time with her when he could.
It didn't take long for them to come apart. Her gasping for air as he released with a groan, collapsing on her. After a few minutes, he rolled off. "Fuck I missed you." She cuddled up to him. "Same. I'm so glad I'm home. Did you win your game?" Feeling bad that she missed it. He nodded. "Yeah we won in overtime."
"Good." She paused, deciding to rip the band-aid off. "So Deacon Rodgers can't do the ceremony."
"Huh?" Justin didn't expect that to be the post sex convo. He looked over and rolled so he faced her. "What are you talking about? He was supposed to come visit us." She laughed. "Funny I said the same thing, but apparently last minute family issues."
"I don't see how that affects us. We are getting married in May."
"That's what I thought, but apparently now it's short notice to find someone."
"So what does that mean?" She shook her head. "I don't know. Do you know anyone who can officiate a wedding?" Justin shook his head. "I mean can't we hire a judge or something? Or Google someone?"
"I mean yeah, but can we find someone who would be willing to sign a NDA about us and our guests?"
"Good point." Sara sighed. "I just want to be married." He nodded. She cuddled closer to him. "Let's do it."
"Huh?"
"You have a Victory monday?" He nodded. "We won. So yeah."
"Let's go to the courthouse tomorrow and do it."
"But what about the wedding?"
"We can still do that. We will just have two dates." He laughed. "Sara, no."
"Huh?" He kissed her. "You told me before that you didn't like the idea of two anniversaries. Plus when we say our vows, I want them to be known to everyone that it's you and me."
Sara smiled. "You're right. It just sucks. We said small, and it's not shaping up that way. So many people are able to make this trip or want to come and it's just alot."
"We could scale it back, tell them to get lost." She chuckled. "Oh yeah Mr. Nice guy. Tell everyone to beat it." He laughed. "We could lie about the venue and We can figure this out tomorrow." He yawned. "I'm tired." Sara, still restless from the sleep schedule, threw off her covers and slipped on a big band t-shirt. Justin frowned. "Where are you going?"
"I'm hungry, and I forgot to feed the cats their dinner!" On cue, both cats meowed loudly.  "Just give them a few treats and come back quickly." He yawned again. Sara nodded,she wasn't going to do that.
Going into the kitchen, Sara took out their raw foods with their treats and goat milk. Once their bowls were filled, Sara grabbed boxed Mac and cheese and began making it. While she waited for the water to boil, she pulled out her laptop and began looking at their private wedding website. She edited the preacher's name off of the party section and looked at the timeline for the day. She still had to have a practice run for hair and makeup. Oh god she didn't even know how she wanted her hair! She would have to incorporate the heirloom hair piece somehow!
At this point she was assembling the Mac and cheese on autopilot. While eating she was searching for other things to incorporate at the reception. Photo booth, the lights on the dance floor-
"You do realize this is what we have a wedding planner for right?" She looked up from the laptop to see Justin with a sleepy smile. She nodded. "I know, I just don't want to seem like an uninvolved bridezilla. I want this wedding to scream 'us'." Justin came around the counter and wrapped his arms around her. Pressing a kiss on top of her head. "I know baby, it will, and I'm off so the rest of the day we can sit down and go over everything. We are way ahead of schedule, you know." She nodded, yawning again. He grabbed the bowl and scooped what was left from the pot in the bowl to store in the fridge for now. Once everything was cleaned up he carried her to bed. Climbing on top of her he told her. "You know if you aren't tired I could go for another round." He smirked.
She smiled. "Ehh I could take care of myself. You need your sleep." She tried to roll over but Justin grinded his hips into hers and she moaned. "Absolutely not too tired for this." He smashed his lips to hers and she moaned, wrapping her legs around his waist. Justin was grateful she forgot to slip on underwear as it was easier access. She moaned once Justin was inside of her. "Fuck I love you." He whispered in her ear and he began thrusting, her too breathy to reply back to him.
As she lost herself in pleasure, she knew everything would be okay, because in the end her and Justin would be married and that was all she wanted.
—---------------------------------------------------------------------
"What did I miss?" Sara was out of breath as she took her seat in the box. AnnSophie shrugged as she handed Sara a glass of wine. "Ehh nothing much, Jets are up by a field goal." It was the wild card game against the Jets, and Sara was nervous. Playoff season put her on edge and for good reason. It caused her to stress eat, which wasn't good because Valentino rep was supposed to come by next week for another full fitting for her dress. She saw Joe was fixing up a plate of food for his heavily pregnant wife. "Isn't Alisha like due to give birth any day?" Sara questioned as she saw her friend waddle over to grab the plate.
Joe looked over, hearing his friend. "Yes! And I'm on edge thank you very much! I was going to watch the game at home, but she wanted to go and you try arguing with a pregnant woman."
After a few glasses of wine, Sara made her way to the buffet table. AnnSophie was filling her plate. Having taken a break from modeling and stepping into behind the scenes of fashion since marrying Joey she was able to relax on dieting and other things.
However Sara was paying close attention to her friend and bridesmaid. She took no sips of her wine, and was avoiding certain foods at the table and yawning alot. Sara had never been pregnant, but AnnSophie had, and she remembered her friend's symptoms from the first time around. At halftime she cornered her by the buffet while she was chowing down on the Caprese salad.(AnnSophie hated tomatoes) "alright spill it, is Lexi going to be a big sister?"
AnnSophie pursed her lips for a moment, then sighed. "Okay I'm 8 weeks, I was going to tell you next week at the fitting. I promise I could still fit in my dress and I'll take care of any alterations." Sara stopped. "I'm so happy for you and Joey!" She hugged her friends. "Does anyone else know?"
Her friend shook her head. "No, we haven't even told his parents or brother and my family…." She trailed off. Sara smiled. "I swear I won't, I'm so excited for you guys and Lexi!"
The blonde laughed. "We haven't told her yet. Joey is worried that she is going to start asking where babies come from."
As they discussed the pregnancy in secret, they were interrupted by the game starting again. The Chargers were up by a touchdown, but before halftime, the Jets were close to the goal line.
It was a tough game, but the Chargers won, and Sara greeted Justin and they went back to the house to cuddle with the cats.
Sara had a good feeling about this year.
—--------------‐—-------------------------------------------------------
"THE LOS ANGELES CHARGERS ARE HEADING TO SUPER BOWL 59 IN NEW ORLEANS!" The announcer yelled as Sara and the WAGS went crazy in their seats. Sporting their customer made jackets with their guys name and number on the back. She had gotten the idea from Alyssa who said that every hockey team did a jacket for the wives in playoff season. Sara got Pierpaolo to design a navy blue jacket with the bolt logo, and on the back with the name and number.
It was a hit with the Chargers WAGs and the NFL, and people wanted the jackets to be put up for sale. Justin always loved Sara in his jerseys, so when he saw her in his jacket he loved it.
As she and Justin's family made it down to the field, she decided to stay off to the side and let Justin’s family share the joy and excitement on camera as Erin Andrews interviewed him. She looked around, the joy and celebration of everyone. She smiled as she saw Joey swing both AnnSophie and Lexi around, being careful of a pregnancy that was now public knowledge as of last week.
Sara couldn't help but think of a couple of years ago, when she watched Justin defeated at the Jags loss. Every announcer shitting on him and the team, questioning him and his capabilities. How heartbroken she was, then upset with the article and heartbreak of them splitting.
Now they were here, Justin was going to be playing in the superbowl, they were engaged to be married in less than six months. It all seemed like a dream, and she was going to wake up in her home and realize the last couple of years didn't happen-"
"Sara!" She broke free of her daydream and realized she was being lifted up into the air and swung around by her fiancé. Wrapping her legs around him he kissed her, and soon there was a swarm of cameramen and television stations surrounding them, capturing a very rare moment between them. Setting her down, they were met with a Los Angeles Fox news reporter wanting to ask Justin questions. She went to leave but Justin grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him, an action that didn't go unnoticed by everyone who knew them.
Justin's large arm was wrapped around her the entire time as he was answering questions about the game, and all of that. Finally the reporter addressed Sara. "Sara, how excited are you to witness Justin and his team reach the superbowl?"
It was funny because being a veteran at Award shows and live interviews it was a totally different ballgame being on the field. Sports wasn't what she was known for, and seeing all of this surrounded her made her nervous. "Yes it's so exciting, I'm so proud of Justin and his teammates. It's a long season, and these guys played their hearts out. To see them being rewarded for all of their hard work it's such a great experience and I couldn't be prouder." She looked up and met Justin's eyes and they shared a smile.
"Well no matter what happens in New Orleans you will be getting a ring for sure." They all laughed, and Justin thanked the reporter before going to celebrate.
They took pictures on the field. Sara and Justin, then Justin and his family, and Sara and Justin with his family. It would be given that some members of her family would fly out to the superbowl.
The celebration back in the locker room was insane. They were in Kansas City, so they couldn't do too much damage, but the music was blasting, champagne was flowing and spilling, and someone was handing out cigars and cigarettes. AnnSophie took Lexi home, not wanting both her and her kids to be exposed to that. Sara took a cigarette and lit it up. Justin gave her a look as he wasn't smoking. She pointed at him, "I don't want to hear anything. I'm under a lot of stress and trying to relax." He left it alone, but she knew she would get some sort of lecture later.
Sara made sure Justin enjoyed the moment. Watching him joke around and dance with teammates. It was a perfect scene, and so far, life couldn't get better than this.
—---------------------------------------------------------------
The weeks leading up to the big game were insane. Sara made travel arrangements for her family to travel to Louisiana. Almost everyone besides Alyssa and Brent were attending. Her parents would be staying behind with the grandkids as Brittany, Katie and their husband's would be attending.
Then the Lady Chargers decided to throw Sara and another Bride a joint bridal shower. It was very sweet, and once again Sara found herself lugging gifts.
In between all of the sanity, she threw complete wedding control to the planner and her mom. She wrote down her major requests for the wedding after party and food. It was out of her hands until the game was finished. While Justin was packing in between practices and getting ready for the send off rally. Eugene decided to break his foot, so he had to be rushed to the vet and be put in a cast. Luckily, her assistant volunteered to stay behind to take care of the cats,as she was fond of them both being around Sara often.
Her stylist picked her superbowl outfit, and her hair and makeup artists would be making sure she looked pristine as well.
Before they knew it, Justin and his team boarded the plane to Louisiana while she and the other WAGS tended to last minute things. Luckily the Chargers team let the WAGS and their families private planes to travel.
It was the last day before she was set to leave. Her bags were packed, hotel arrangements  were made and she was to set out at 8am the next morning to pick up AnnSophie and Lexi.
While she was waiting for her assistant to show up to pick up the cats her doorbell rang. Figuring it was her fiancés manager she ran to let her in. However it was the last person she expected to see.
Latrell was the latest addition to her team, he was a lawyer who specialized in finances, recommended by Katie. He was sharp, all business, and he never cracked a smile or laughed. Justin told her he made him feel uneasy.
"Hello Ms. Wozniak. May I come in?" He never called her by her name, no matter how many requests she's made. "Um, actually it's a bad time since I'm getting everything ready for tomorrow."
"Yes, I know about your super bowl trip. Congratulations to Mr. Herbert by the way. You must all feel very proud."  She nodded. "We are all so proud. Now if you don't mind, what does this concern?"
He sighed and entered the home. Putting his briefcase on the couch he opened it and pulled out a stack of papers. "I've been trying to contact you since the news of your engagement, but you've been impossible to schedule a sit down appointment with, so I took the liberty to draw this up."
Sara shook her head confused. "I apologize, but I don't know what is so urgent that it couldn't wait til after the wedding." He stopped and gave her a hard look, and she felt like she was a child about to be given a lecture by her dad. "I hardly think a prenuptial agreement could wait till after the marriage documents are signed, correct?"
She couldn't say anything. She hadn't even thought about it. Her and Justin were worth tons of money. Sara did have generational wealth, and technically was due to inherit property from her parents and a generous lump sum of money.
Justin would never take that from her IF they divorced. But then again he did break up with her.
But that was so long ago…..
It was only two years ago….
"Ms. Wozniak?" Sara snapped out of her daydream. "I'm sorry Latrell, I wasn't purposely ignoring you, but I hadn't thought about that really."
He nodded. "That's why I'm here. I took the liberty of discussing matters with Justin’s team. They were trying to reach him, but to no avail." It made her feel good to know that she wasn't going to be the one blindsided by this. Latrell continued. "I drew up a basic agreement, anything money, property accumulated before your marriage will remain yours and vice versa. The California laws of a 50-50 marriage will not apply In the event of a divorce. If Mr. Herbert commits infidelity you will be entitled to half of his earnings during the marriage. Your future c-"
"Woah woah" Sara put her hands up. "I really appreciate this Latrell, but I think this should be a matter I discuss with my future husband, don't you think?"
"No offense Ms. Wozniak, I anticipate the next few months you are not going to have time to sit down and discuss this with Mr. Herbert."
"Well I'm not signing anything without reviewing this, and having Justin here is important. I'm sorry but this will have to wait."
Latrell shrugged and went to the door. "Suit yourself, but Sara, you guys aren't any average couple. It is in your best interest that your net worth of fifty million is protected. Don't you think so?"
She nodded. "I'll call you." She saw him at the door and bid goodbye.
This was the last thing she needed right now.
—------------------------------------------------------------
"Holy shit this is insane." Rachel Joseph-Day was looking around in awe. They were all seated towards the back in the first level of the stadium. Sara had never been to New Orleans, so this was an amazing experience.
She had been in contact with Justin through the phone, the tables had switched for the media obligations. Justin was the main star, which she knew he hated. He was very poised in all of his media, even answering a few questions about her that he knew they were going to ask.
She knew people thought it was weird that they hadn't posted publicly about each other. The only crumble they gave were liking each other's posts or being tagged in friends' postings. It worked for them, and love wasn't dead because they were private to the whole world. Private not secret
During the pregame show her nerves were growing. Fellow celebs were taking their seats, stopping to say a few words of congratulations and good luck.
Her nerves calmed once Justin's family arrived. They were sitting behind her, as the other wives and girlfriends were taking up two rows next to them were her family, and Justin's coach from Oregon. They all talked before she and Katie decided to get snacks for people who wanted them
The concession stands were busy, and people stopped to take videos of Sara walking, and some influencers stopped her for photos. "I know I've seen you be all famous, but it's still weird seeing you like this. To me you will always be the emo dork who would steal my makeup." Sara laughed as she was in line. "Yeah be lucky I stole all of the tits so I couldn't steal your shirts!"
Once they ordered they began to walk back to their area when they heard a voice. "Hello Sara."
She froze, she recognized that condescending, bitchy tone. She looked next to her and sure enough it was the NFL's very own Taylor. "Hi Taylor. Always good to see you again." Sara took the cordial route. It was all petty high school drama anyway.
The blonde huffed. "Wish I could say the same." Sara sighed. "Well it was nice seeing you." She went to walk away.
"Your outfit is a little weird don't ya think?" Sara looked at her sister,who was concerned. "Katie, this is Taylor, the one I told you about." Her sisters face hardened. "So nice to meet you Taylor, I've heard a lot about you."
"Good things?"
"Not really." Sara had to hold back a laugh. Taylor continued. "I really admire your baby sister, she has perseverance. I mean no matter how pathetic she looks she keeps going!"
"Listen bi-" Sara held her hand up to stop her sister. "Listen Taylor. I don't know what your problem is, we are almost in our thirties. Well, I am. Can't you grow up just a bit? You're just upset you didn't get to me, and I got the ring in the end." She held her hand up to show the sparkler. "See? It's over. I'm marrying Justin this summer and you're just mad because it isn't you." Taylor was speechless, Sara saw there were a few people looking. "It was so nice seeing you! Enjoy the game!" She gave the old friends appearance wave and walked back to the seat.
Katie smiled. "I'm so fucking proud of you. That was so mature-"
"I should have accidentally spilled something on her." Sara cut in.
"Well there goes my compliment about you being mature." They both laughed.
From her seat, she had a view of the press on the field. She saw Taylor, who was now using her position to be on the sidelines for most likely the entire game. They met eyes, and once again Sara's left hand went up to move a piece of hair from her face. The blonde scowled and looked away.
Before the group all knew it, the lights dimmed and the announcer came on, ready for the introductions. The Chargers were wearing the powder blue yellow pants combination. Sara loved the yellow pants, as it showed off everything.
Once everyone was on the field and they did their usual theriatrics it was officially time for the game to begin.
Sara felt like she wanted to throw up.
—--------------------------------------------------------------------
"Four minutes on the clock, do you think they can score and avoid OT?" Taylor Pipkens spoke as she was nervously tapping her nails against her drink. Sara had an urge to bite her acrylics, but she knew her mom would bitch her out if she was caught on TV. They were watching at home with the kids.
The Cowboys were resilient, constantly on the Chargers back and taking a slight lead in the third quarter, however Prescott threw a costly interception that tied them up.
Now the clock was winding down, and the Chargers had the ball. The punt return didn't give them much help as the Dallas defense seemed to have a second wind.
Sara and the group were in their own little world. A few times she was shown on the jumbotron and the major broadcasting channels flashed to her downing a glass of wine, which Heidi messaged her that she was now a meme on Twitter, she didn't see the tons of messages her friends texted her. She would be fighting for her life in the group chat the next morning. She'd worry about that later.
So far Justin decided to run to get a few first downs, and they were almost in the red zone. She couldn't sit down, she was standing up, as well as the other wives and Chargers fans. It had been quite the time since it was announced that the Cowboys would be facing the Chargers. She had been getting death threats and hate messages. Some were good natured ribbing, but there were some that definitely got blocked.
There was two minutes left as Justin threw to Mike, who got stopped at the five yard line. It was now second down, and everyone in their section held their breath as Justin dropped back, a quick search and he threw to Quentin in the end zone, who caught it easily despite being covered by the Cowboys safety.
"Yes!" Everyone erupted at once. High fives were passed around, and Sara hugged people she didn't even know. Reaching over to high five Mark and Holly, there was 1:10 left, and it was up to the defense to stop Dak.
She had faith. Joey had been playing amazingly, so much that he was named the top defensive player. It was wonderful that despite the bullshit he faced from the outside world, he came back and proved everyone wrong.
Unfortunately, The punt was good, and the Cowboys started at the Chargers 40 yard line. "I think I'm going to throw up." Sara spoke to herself.
"You know if mom sees you, you are getting it. You know mom hates that more than anything." Brittany laughed and she realized her hands were in her mouth. "Sorry." She muttered.
It was third down, and as Dak tried to run, Joey anticipated his move, and down the quarterback went and the ball came loose.
It was all slow motion for Sara as she saw a sea of blue dive for the ball.
"They got it!" Mitch yelled! And tears began to stream down Sara's face as the team celebrated.
That was it
The Chargers were Superbowl champions!
The clock ran out, and powder blue and yellow confetti began shooting all over the stadium. The next few minutes was all a blur for Sara as she was passed around for hugs. Holly was in tears as the whole Herbert family was. AnnSophie was holding Lexi tight with Joey's mom and brother.
The usher got them and escorted them down to the sidelines to watch Roger Godell present the Lombardi trophy to Justin. Through the blur of her tears she saw him raise it up as she was taking video after video.
Once they were allowed on the field. Justin immediately reached for her and picked her up, swinging her around. This time, the tears flowed between both of them. After sharing a passionate kiss Sara spoke. "I love you so much! I'm so proud of you! I mean look." She gestured to the celebrations around them. "This is all for you!"
He nodded. "It is for all of us, including you." She shook her head. "We will argue about that later." He put her down and greeted his family. Holly began taking the confetti and stuffing some in her purse.
"Justin! The NFL network wants to interview you." Ashley guided Justin towards Taylor with the microphone  and the cameraman. Before Justin could reach her he turned around and grabbed Sara's hand pulling her towards him. Her eyes widened. "No Justin, this is your moment."
"We are doing this together." Taylor's eyes were as wide as saucers as the couple approached. "Okay we are on in three, two, one."
Taylor had to conceal her shock. "I'm here with Justin Herbert, the superbowl MVP. Justin, how important is this win to the city of Los Angeles?"
He smiled. "It's big, the fans in LA and San Diego have deserved this for so long, and to get back on the plane and bring it home is exciting."
"Justin that final play of the game, what was the atmosphere? Was there any panic?" It was obvious that Taylor was going to act like she wasn't there, so Sara angled herself off camera as much as she could (Justin's arm was still around her) so she could greet other members of his family. She didn't hear his response but was pulled back by the blonde's next question
"I'm sure any off season plans will have to be delayed this summer."
"No, it will just make it more exciting. He looked at Sara who smiled back. "We got to get another ring in a few months. So it will be a great off season."
"Well congratulations again." They both didn't miss the bite in Taylor's voice. Once they were out of ear shot they busted out laughing.
Eventually, Justin and the team went to get changed and ready to head out for a night on the town.
—--------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Annie!! I love our baby but I wish you weren't pregnant right now!" Joey smiled as he took a swig of champagne. His wife rolled her eyes. "Someone has to keep your ass in check. I'll probably be heading back towards the hotel to relieve the babysitter soon."
In New Orleans fashion, a parade down Bourbon street was held. The team and their families were walking down the street to the cheers of the crowd. Even the ones with kids were there, although the celebration was anything but appropriate.
"You realize we are going to have to get on a plane hungover tomorrow?" Sara giggled as she took a sip of champagne from the bottle."
Justin chuckled. "Baby I think you had way more than I did." He adjusted the championship hat on her head.
People were popping champagne, others were popping confetti cannons. The scene was chaotic, and beautiful in some way. Jazz bands were playing, and people were dancing in the streets, not even caring about football, just wanting to enjoy the party atmosphere.
Fireworks began going off, and Justin was lost in the moment, Sara was dancing and laughing at a comment Mike yelled. It was a high he never wanted to let go off. He had everything he ever wanted, well except one thing and he couldn't wait till May.
Grabbing his fiancé's hand he pulled her off to the side. "Justin what's wrong?"
"Let's get married." She began giggling and he was confused. "What?"
"Justin we are!" She showed him her ring. "Remember? Are you sure you haven't had too many…"
It was his turn to laugh. "I mean tomorrow when we go home. Let's go to the courthouse and get married."
She sobered up quickly. "I thought you said…"
"I know what I said, and I was wrong, I don't want to wait another moment without you being my wife. I love you and I want to marry you as soon as possible." He grabbed her hand. "If you want to."
She thought about it. Her team would be upset, their families would be upset. But it wasn't about them.
"Let's do it."
A/N: I had to bust this up into two parts because it was wayyy too long. But what do you think? Should they marry at the courthouse or just wait til their actual wedding?
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cyancherub · 2 days
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do you have any book recommendations for us :D
MAYBE SO.......!!!! u know i love talkin abt books!!!
well, ok since ive posted about most of the books ive been reading recently MAYBE i can also post about some that i ordered and am waiting to arrive??? because all of these sounded very interesting to me!!!
SO books i have coming in the mail:
surrealist novels:
the woman in the dunes by kobo abe
the hearing trumpet by leonora carrington
the melancholy of resistance by laszlo krasznahorkai:
the third policeman by flann o'brien
nadja by andre breton
(been really into surrealism lately if it isn't apparent. most excited for melancholy of resistance i think)
horror, gothic, etc:
bruges-la-morte by georges rodenbach
the damned (la-bas) by joris-karl huysmans
floating dragon by peter straub
classics, short stories, etc:
french decadent tales (oxford world's classics) by stephen romer
in watermelon sugar by richard brautigan
swann's way (in search of lost time, #1) by marcel proust
selected short stories by balzac
icefields by thomas wharton
some ive picked up recently & stoked to read:
ada, or ardor by nabokov (my most beloved author of all time)
carmilla by le fanu
nightmare alley by william lindsay gresham
a king alone by jean giono
twilight of the idols by nietzsche
transparent things by nabokov
dark water by koji suzuki
selected poems by jorge luis borges (also beloved)
trolled my goodreads for more recs
books ive read & enjoyed so far this year:
the iliac crest by cristina rivera garza
the tenant by roland topor (FAV!!! huge fav)
crimson labyrinth by yusuke kishi
pedro paramo by juan rulfo
carolina ghost woods by judy jordan
death in her hands by ottessa moshfegh
the unbearable lightness of being by milan kundera
in the lake of the woods by tim o'brien
disgrace by j m coetzee
goth by otsuichi
books i enjoyed from last year:
the lottery & other stories by shirley jackson
the vegetarian by han kang
rosemary's baby by ira levin
piercing by ryu murakami (an all time fav)
the bloody chamber by angela carter (fav)
starve acre by andrew michael hurley (also a fav)
the glassy, burning floor of hell by brian evenson
the devil's larder by jim crace
monstrilio by gerardo samano cordova
and as a bonus, literally anything by nabokov. i have a big book of his short fiction that ive been reading slowly for a long while. despair by him is my fav book of all time, hands down. he is a master of absurdism (and a master of every language he writes in).
ALSO!!!! if youre into poetry, anything and every single thing by: t.s. eliot, baudelaire, rimbaud, borges. i also love neruda's poetry but i have heard he was an awful man so keep that in mind
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rabbitcruiser · 24 days
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Carcross Desert, YT (No. 1)
Carcross Desert, located outside Carcross, Yukon, Canada, is a series of sand dunes. The Carcross Desert measures approximately 2.6 km2 (1.0 sq mi), or 259 ha (640 acres).
Carcross Desert is commonly referred to as a desert, but is actually a series of northern sand dunes. The area's climate is too humid to be considered a true desert. The sand was formed during the last glacial period, when large glacial lakes formed and deposited silt. When the lakes dried, the dunes were left behind. 
Today, sand comes mainly from nearby Bennett Lake, carried by wind. The dunes contain a wide variety of plants, including unusual species such as Baikal sedge (Carex sabulosa) and Yukon lupine, among others.
The Government of Yukon has made efforts to protect Carcross Desert in 1992, but failed due to opposition from locals who use the dunes for recreational purposes.
Source: Wikipedia
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johnschneiderblog · 2 months
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The green lagoons
Hilton Head's lagoons are a treat for human eyes and home to all manner of creature, but they also serve a crucial function: drainage.
The 11-mile-long Palmetto Dunes salt-water lagoon system - the second largest man-made lagoon system in the U.S. - winds through 2,000-plus acres of neighborhoods, golf courses and maritime hardwood forests.
It was built in the 1970s to address two problems - shallow waterways on the island and a vanishing beachfront. Before the lagoons were dug receding tides and the seepage of ground water made the island's 150-foot-wide beach too waterlogged to use.
Now, you can ride a bike on it.
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theladyfromplanetx · 6 months
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(Because if you try to read the original, you'll get hit with a paywall. This article was originally published in 2021.)
By Paul Krugman
The blogger John Rogers once noted that there are two novels that can shape the lives of bookish 14-year-olds: "Atlas Shrugged" and "The Lord of the Rings". One of these novels, he asserted, is a childish fantasy that can leave you emotionally stunted; the other involves orcs.
Well I was a bookish 14-year-old, but my touchstones were two different novels:
Isaac Asimov’s “Foundation” and Frank Herbert’s “Dune.”
Many social scientists, it turns out, are science fiction readers. For example, quite a few experts on international relations who I know are fanatics about the TV version of “The Expanse.” I think it’s because good science fiction involves building imaginary worlds that are different from the world we know, but in interesting ways that relate to the attempt to understand why society is the way it is.
Anyway, that’s my excuse for devoting today’s newsletter not to the latest scary developments in politics and economics but to a much happier event: the U.S. release of a wonderful, satisfying film version of “Dune” — the first movie I’ve seen in a theater since the pandemic began.
Before I get there, however, a word about the new “Foundation” TV series, which is being released one episode a week on Apple TV.
The “Foundation” trilogy had a huge impact on my teenage self. For those who’ve never read it, it’s about social scientists who use their knowledge to save galactic civilization. I wanted to be Hari Seldon, the brilliant mathematician who leads the effort; this economics thing was as close as I could get.
“Foundation” might seem unfilmable. It mostly involves people talking, and its narrative inverts the hero-saves-the-universe theme that burns many acres of CGI every year. The story spans centuries; in each episode everything appears to be on the brink, and it seems as if only desperate efforts by the protagonists can save the day. But after each crisis, Seldon’s prerecorded hologram appears to explain to everyone what just happened and why the successful resolution was inevitable given the laws of history.
So how does the Apple TV series turn this into a visually compelling tale? It doesn’t. What it does instead is remake “Star Wars” under another name. There are indispensable heroes, mystical powers, even a Death Star. These aren’t necessarily bad things to include in a TV series, but they’re completely antithetical to the spirit of Asimov’s writing. Pretending that this series has anything to do with the “Foundation” novels is fraudulent marketing, and I’ve stopped watching.
Now on to “Dune.” The book is everything “Foundation” isn’t: There’s a glittering, hierarchical society wracked by intrigue and warfare, a young hero of noble birth who may be a prophesied Messiah, a sinister but alluring sisterhood of witches, fierce desert warriors and, of course, giant worms.
And yes, it’s fun. When I was a teenager, my friends and I would engage in mock combat in which the killing blow had to be delivered slowly to penetrate your opponent’s shield — which will make sense if you read the book or watch the movie.
Now on to “Dune.” The book is everything “Foundation” isn’t: There’s a glittering, hierarchical society wracked by intrigue and warfare, a young hero of noble birth who may be a prophesied Messiah, a sinister but alluring sisterhood of witches, fierce desert warriors and, of course, giant worms.
And yes, it’s fun. When I was a teenager, my friends and I would engage in mock combat in which the killing blow had to be delivered slowly to penetrate your opponent’s shield — which will make sense if you read the book or watch the movie.
What makes “Dune” more than an ordinary space opera are two things: its subtlety and the richness of its world-building.
Thus, the Bene Gesserit derive their power not from magic but from deep self-control, awareness and understanding of human psychology. The journey of Paul Atreides is heroic but morally ambiguous; he knows that if he succeeds, war and vast slaughter will follow.
And the world Herbert created is given depth by layers of cultural references. He borrowed from Islamic and Ayurvedic traditions, from European feudalism and more — “Dune” represents cultural appropriation on a, well, interstellar scale. It’s also deeply steeped in fairly serious ecological thinking.
So why was the 1984 film a disaster? Because the director — yes, David Lynch — either didn’t grasp the subtlety and richness or decided that audiences couldn’t handle it. That is, he did to “Dune” what Apple TV has done to “Foundation.” For example, in the book there’s the “weirding way of battle,” which is about using psychology and deception to overcome foes; in Lynch’s film this was replaced with some kind of gadget.
The great thing about Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part I” is that he respects the audience enough to retain the book’s spirit. He trimmed the narrative to reduce it to filmable size — and even so, his two and a half hours cover only the first half of the book — but he didn’t dumb it down. Instead, he relies on spectacle and spine-tingling action to hold our attention despite the density of the story. In so doing he made a film worthy of the source material.
I wouldn’t say that this “Dune” matches the vision I had when reading the book. It’s better. The visuals surpass my imagination — those ornithopters! The actors give the characters more depth than the book’s author previously had in my mind.
Will this labor of love sell to a mass audience (and allow Villeneuve to finish his story)? The early box office looks good, and this does seem like the kind of film people will see twice — I did — so sales may hold up longer than usual. But I guess we’ll find out.
In any case, all of us former bookish 14-year-olds finally have the “Dune” movie we always wanted to see. Sometimes, things actually do go right.
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solardrake · 1 year
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While some storms are simply formed by the natural process of convective energies, there are some, more fantastical storms that move across the landscape with intent. It may start innocuous enough, appearing on radar as an isolated supercell. The doppler may only get one or two passes in of reflectivity where rotation becomes evident before a dark, shadowed tendril lowers from the base of the swirling mothership, and begins to claw at the ground. The wind starts to whip, the appendage growing in size and becoming occluded by its own condensation, fattening into a wall. Unlike other storms, it does not move constantly on the rails of upper jet streams, rather it pauses and meanders about on a few acres of land. It is monstrous in scale, the outer walls of the vortex and horizontal foliage hinting at its landscape ravaging power, whatever underneath its wrath surely long obliterated and tossed hundreds of meters away. However, further observation shows that what is ripped from the ground by its extreme rotation is pulled into the curtain no matter what; not even the heaviest of items spared from being sucked in when a typical storm would have carried its prey on its outer vertices before lobbing it to the side. This storm is swallowing everything it can get at.
Minutes go by where seemingly little changes before the tornadic part of the storm begins to fade, the proboscis of the imposing anvil clouds rescinding back into its base. The rain curtain draws back...revealing an onyx colored structure jutting diagonally out of the golden dunes. With pinnacles and arc-boutants connecting to a central spire that reaches its crooked peak into the weakening vortex, it is stark against the otherwise vast landscape, rays of sun spilling from the parting sky and melting against its otherworldly architecture. It is known that strong storms have a thirst for destruction in their short lives, but these particular formations not only seek to destroy what was there before, but to use the raw materials procured from the destruction of earth to create something new altogether.
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jechristine · 25 days
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I’m sorry to all book lovers out there chani needed the change I don’t care how one feels dune books were written by a white man in the 1960s sometimes books are awful representation I know you are an English teacher but books that want to explore other people culture and screw up deserve to be attack
Hm I’m against “attacking” or banning or, worse, burning books. But I do think that your critique is valid and should be a part of any analysis of Dune. We should approach every book with some critical thought. Solution is more information so readers can create knowledgeable, thoughtful interpretations. Lots of old stories have been appropriated and adapted to focus on marginalized characters’ pov (Wicked, A Thousand Acres, etc etc) or add other kinds of meaningful layers/nuance to key cultural texts, and that’s good, too! Sounds like Denis’s version of Dune among them.
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vintagelasvegas · 11 months
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Vagabond Motor Hotel, 3688 Las Vegas Blvd S – 1971.
Photo by Clinton Wright. Clinton Wright Photographs (PH-00379), UNLV Special Collections.
Developer Robert Cohen took a 55-year lease on the property in the mid-60s paying $650 a month to owner Suzanne Tiffany, and built the motel in the late 60s. On the motel’s right/north side was the Dunes’ driving range, which later became part of Bellagio. Jockey Club was later built on the motel’s left/south side. 
The motel was demolished in ‘98 and the “Tiffany lot” was leased for various use by Bellagio. MGM Resorts bought the 64.5 x 1100-foot, 1.62-acre lot for $54 million in 2023.
B. Gang. “Mirage takes step toward takeover of Strip motel.” Las Vegas Sun, 4/6/98; Five Hundy by Midnight #876.
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womblegrinch · 1 year
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William Merritt Chase (1849-1916) - Shinnecock Hills, autumn
Oil on canvas. Painted c.1893. 35.5 x 40 inches, 90.2 x 101.6 cm.
Part of a selling exhibition at Christie’s, New York, 10 Oct - 30 Nov 2022.
Chase had a summer school at Shinnecock Hills, Long Island, from 1891-1902. His home and studio were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 as the William Merritt Chase Homestead. ‘The Hills’ is basically the sand dunes on the rather flattish island.
An area of 3,500 acres, including the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, has been the subject of a long-running lawsuit brought by the Shinnecock Indian Nation for the return of it’s tribal land following it’s appropriation by whitey in 1859.
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