For Sisters By Sisters » Lauren T.

My Wedding Kick

Lauren T. — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 15:52:25 +0000

Lately I’ve been on a bit of a wedding kick. I don’t want to get married anytime soon. (I’m 19; I’m not old enough for that!) But I love the idea of weddings. The bride gets all dressed up in a fabulous dress and ridiculously gorgeous shoes. The groom embarks on his annual shaving experience. Everyone sits around and hears about why they love each other so much. It’s like a little piece of magic in the non-magic world. I’ve always loved going to dress-up parties. Halloween is definitely up there on my list of favorite holidays. Maybe that’s why I like weddings so much, and have been frequenting wedding sites and blogs (like this one, this one and this one).

But I think all girls fantasize about weddings. I remember wanting a winter wonderland wedding when I was little, complete with a fur-trimmed dress (what was I thinking?!). We’ve probably all at some point or another in our childhood planned a wedding that now seems so silly. But think about it: growing up, we’re smothered by the idea of princesses and how fabulous they are. They get to live in big castles and wear ball gowns and be pampered by their best friends. On our wedding day we get to have that!

The bridal party dotes on you, you’re the center of attention (or at least half of it), everyone listens to you gloat about your awesome significant other. And the best part is the prospect of a sparkly diamond that now lives on your finger as a symbol of your commitment to someone. Lately I’ve taken to referring to diamonds as “sparkles” for no reason other than I love things that sparkle. I also think it makes things more fun and whimsical! And after the ceremony, you just party to your heart’s content. Dancing and food are two of my favorite things, and what better way to spend time with family?

Image taken from CreativeCommons.org

Product Review: Ozone Socks

Lauren T. — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 14:25:02 +0000

Growing up at the beach meant I never had to wear tennis shoes or boots—or frankly any closed-toe shoes any time of the year. It was always flip-flops and sandals. When I decided to move to Ohio, where the average high for the month of January is 36°F (mind you, there is ALWAYS a wind chill that makes it feel like half of what the thermometer says), I quickly realized it was time to invest in some boots—and, in turn, lots and lots of socks!

I searched high and low to find cute, comfy socks. Little did I know it would be such a difficult task. Ladies—and potentially gentlemen—let me tell you, a good sock that is also aesthetically pleasing is hard to come by. I went to stores all over Southern California (bad idea) and then went shopping in Columbus, Ohio. I was sure I’d find some there. How could I not? Well, I didn’t.

When I came across these little beauties from Ozone, I thought I’d finally found what I’d been looking so hard for. They’re cute and soft and come in tons of patterns and colors. I love wearing patterned, colorful socks, even if no one will see them. It’s like a little piece of fashion that is my own little secret.

My intention was to wear these with my rain boots (which I use as snow boots—I can’t bring myself to buy those bulky winter boots yet.). While these Ozone socks are cute and perfect for tennis shoes or even TOMS so they don’t get stinky, they didn’t really work out for my boot needs. But now all my gym buddies get to see my awesome socks, and I’m pretty sure I’ve persuaded them to invest in a pair.

Bomb Scare

Lauren T. — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 20:14:35 +0000

Recently there was a security breach at my school. I received a text message at 8:56 a.m. from our student safety services informing me that there were buildings on campus I should consider staying away from. Naturally, every resident on my floor walked into the hallway to discuss the situation. Not only were we all trying to figure out what was really going on, most of us usually aren’t even awake at that time of the morning. So add grogginess to the confusion, and you’ve got quite the scene. Some girls were totally calm and level-headed. On the other hand, we had girls calling their mothers in tears. My mom is part of the alert system, so she already knew. She reassured me that it would all be okay. I live about a mile away from the affected buildings, so I wasn’t too nervous.

But this whole situation did make me realize how precious life is. I made sure to let everyone important in my life know how much they mean. Even though I knew I wouldn’t be affected by the threats, I felt like I should remind my loved ones how much I care. I’m sure people tell you all the time to cherish life and all of the people in it, but I realized today that it really is important. Normally I wouldn’t talk about something of this magnitude, but today has hit close to home. I’ve been pretty homesick lately, and this put things in perspective for me. My family and friends will always be there for me to go to if I need something, but it’s my responsibility to let them know that I would do the same.

In all honesty, I’m not exactly sure what I’m trying to get at here, other than make sure the people in your life know how much you love them. Being away from home for two months has made me appreciate my family so much, but I don’t think I would have told them if this bomb threat crisis hadn’t happened. A simple “I love you mom/dad/sister/friend” text once a day will take you 30 seconds, but it could mean the world to someone.

Picture taken from Creativecommons.com

The Real Deal About College

Lauren T. — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 22:40:04 +0000

Sept. 22, 2010. My first day of college. I had no idea what to expect. People had been telling me that my classes would be huge and I would have lame teaching assistants trying to help me get through. I go to a school with well over 50,000 students, so I expected to feel like a very little fish in a very, very large pond. And I’ll be the first to admit that it is weird to see unfamiliar faces everywhere. In high school, you kind of know who everyone is and you see the same faces every day. Here, I see more new faces daily than familiar ones.

But I see at least one person I know every day, outside of class. Whether it’s walking from class to class, going to the gym, grabbing a quick lunch at the student union or heading down to the basement to do my laundry, there is always a face I recognize. (P.S. Doing your own laundry isn’t really all that bad.) As far as the whole class thing goes, my largest class is maybe 45 people. Granted, I’m not enrolled in math or science lecture this quarter. But the girls I know who are taking those classes go to recitation twice a week to review all the material with an associate professor. Needless to say, they are getting enough personal attention to do well in class.

I was also really nervous that I would have some crazy roommate. Either I got really lucky or we have an awesome housing department. My roommate, Andrea, and I get along so well. She puts up with my Taylor Swift obsession, and I’m more than happy to give her space when she has visitors. We both came here with friends from home and, thankfully, they all get along incredibly well, too. Speaking of friends, it is a lot easier to make new ones than you’d think. The floor I live on has a policy that requests that we leave our doors open so people can come in and say hello. My roommate and I try to always have our door open, unless we’re studying, and we are really close to the girls we live with. I guess my point is, be friendly! Don’t let the friend-making process terrify you. It’s really not that bad.

I’ve been on campus less time than it took for me to finish all my college applications. But it’s so worth it. All the time and effort and crazy essays and numerous rewrites will pay off for you. And no matter what happens, you will end up where you’re supposed to be. It might not happen right away, but there’s a reason for everything, and one day you will be so appreciative of this whole experience, so try to enjoy it!

Making friends and studying goes hand in hand at college

Q&A: Lauren and Tori

Lauren T. — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 15:33:26 +0000

Lauren T. and Tori S. have been “sisters” since they were babies. We met up with the two, who have recently flown the coop, from California to Ohio for college, to see what it’s like to have a best friend who is basically a sister.

Sisters Lauren T. and Tori S.

@TheSisterh00d: When did the two of you meet?

Tori: Lauren genuinely believed, for a long time, that we met when we were 18 months old when she walked over to my house, in her diaper, and asked if I could play.

(Giggles)

Lauren: We were 18 months old, but what really happened is that Tori’s dad sold my family our house. (Jokingly:) It’s kinda a forced relationship.

Tori: We’ve been friends ever since.

@TheSisterh00d: Did you go to school together your whole lives?

Lauren: Nope, only until high school. Tori went to private school.

Tori: And Lauren moved to a different school district.

@TheSisterh00d: Did that change your relationship?

Tori: We didn’t see each other very much, but we had a safety net, knowing the other was there if we needed her, when it came to things like boy drama and breakups.

@TheSisterh00d: Well, you’re still friends and now reunited in college. Was that planned?

Lauren: It was not intentional.

Tori: We say it was an act of God. (More giggles)

@TheSisterh00d: Do you guys live together on campus?

Lauren: No, we live a mile apart.

Tori: But we see each other every day.

Lauren: I didn’t want to live with Tori, because I didn’t want to begin hating her.

Tori: We’d rather be each other’s refuge when we need each other than get annoyed by one another.

@TheSisterh00d: Does that mean you’re starting separate, new groups of friends?

Tori: We’ve made separate friends, but we introduced them all to each other.

Lauren: We meet people in different places because we don’t have any of the same classes. I’m majoring in French, and Tori doesn’t have a major yet.

@TheSisterh00d: Do you guys take part in any of the same extracurricular activities?

Tori and Lauren (in unison): “Grey’s Anatomy”!

Lauren: We watch “Grey’s” on Thursdays in a girl’s room from my floor.

@TheSisterh00d: Do you guys watch “Gossip Girl”? Are you anything like Blair and Serena?

Lauren: I watch it; Tori doesn’t. We are nothing like them. They are always angry at each other. We don’t have secret societies on campus, though, so there’s no competition to pull us apart.

@TheSisterh00d: You both have sisters in your families. Would you say that the relationship you have with each other is like that of real sisters?

Lauren (to Tori): I couldn’t get rid of you even if I wanted to.

Tori: You’d never want to!

@TheSisterh00d: So you’ll be friends forever?

Tori and Lauren (in unison): I’d find you… (A “Wedding Crashers” reference)

Tori: We finish each other’s sentences.

Lauren: This week, we were walking through campus with our new friends singing, “I like big butts” and switching off every couple of words. (Laughs) We are weird.

Lauren and Tori might be among the older “sisters” in The Sisterhood, but they sure do understand that girls have an intimate way of communicating when it comes to their best friends. Take advantage of the older sisters on The Sisterhood—comment on their posts with questions you have about things they’ve lived through and have answers to!

Fatal Attraction

Lauren T. — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 15:56:03 +0000

Before I get to my point, I will admit that I’m two years late getting started on this whole driving thing. I’m 18, yes. And, yes, I still don’t have my driver’s license. But I did just get my permit, and one thing we talked about A LOT in Driver’s Ed was phone usage in an automobile.

I don’t want to sound all preachy, but I realized what a big deal it is. Did you know that texting while driving has a more severe effect on your concentration than drinking five beers? Did you know that in 2008, 16 percent of fatal crashes were due to texting while driving? Did you know that texting while you drive impairs your reaction time by 18 percent—and that that’s the time it takes for you to hit another car? Or a child? Or an animal? Did you know that 70 percent of teens admit to texting while driving? So far, 30 states (plus Washington, D.C., and Guam) have banned texting for all drivers. An additional eight have outlawed it for novice drivers, and two have done so for school bus drivers.

Texting while driving distracts this teen from focusing on traffic

I know I probably sound like your mom right about now, but imagine this: You’re driving down the freeway. Your best friend is sitting next to you and your little brother is in the backseat. You’ve got some Beyoncé bumping from your radio. All of a sudden your phone vibrates. The boy you’ve been crushing on has finally texted you back and he wants to hang out tonight. So you take your hands off the wheel (mistake No. 1) and look away from the road (mistake No. 2). You start to text him back (mistake No. 3) and before you know it, you’re lying on the side of the road. You sit up and see your BFF halfway through the windshield, and your little brother is nowhere in sight. The car that was driving in front of you is now facing the opposite direction. You hear sirens approaching and suddenly realize that you just hit the car that was in front of you. You lie back down, and the next time you sit up, the passengers from the other car are being taken away in those dreaded white body bags. Do you really want to be the cause of so much pain to another family?

Texting teenager with 18-wheeler coming towards her

Maybe something like this will never happen to you or to someone you know. But the odds are pretty good that you will be connected to an incident like this. Next time you get in a car, think about how many people you have the potential to hurt. But also think about how beneficial it could be to everyone if you wait to text back, if you pull over, if you have someone else do it for you. Don’t be selfish. Don’t take someone else’s life. Put your phone down and show the people around you that that’s how much you care.

How to Survive a Break-up

Lauren T. — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:13:44 +0000

For nine months I had been seeing this boy. And for seven of the nine months he was my boyfriend. Then he suddenly became my ex. It was the most out-of-left-field experience I’ve ever had. I spent my entire weekend in the same clothes, surrounded by tissue and wishing it was all a dream.

I can honestly say that it was the most horrifying experience of my life. He was my first real boyfriend, the first boy I loved and the first boy to break my heart. For nine months he was my best friend and my confidant. And all of a sudden he was not. I’m sure some of you have been in my shoes and, unfortunately, all of you will be there.

But there are two things you can always count on: your friends and yourself. Going through this made me realize how much my friends love me and how much I love them. More than anyone else, my friends were there to listen, even though most of the time they couldn’t understand me through the sobs. When I wanted to rant and be angry, they slammed my ex. When I wanted to just be sad, they brought me fro yo. And when I didn’t want to talk at all, they were there to watch Grey’s Anatomy reruns and marvel at McSteamy’s abs. Ben and Jerry helped too!

In the few days I’d had to reflect on the situation, I realized that in the end, he didn’t care enough to make us work as a couple. I didn’t want to be in a relationship in which I gave my all and didn’t get that in return. Yes, I was devastated, but being pushed aside so he could hang out with his friends would have been worse. I know that I deserve to be treated better than that, and while I was still in utter shock and despair, I came out okay.

So ladies, be sad. Cry. Yell. Punch a pillow. Eat some ice cream. Stare at McSteamy’s abs. You deserve it. But don’t forget that someone will find you and love you and treat you like the princess you are. Don’t let one person ruin you. I know that it hurts, and I know that it feels like your whole world has fallen apart, because I felt the same way. But then I remembered that my friends are still there, and that in the end I was going to be okay. I know you will be too.