And now I want a s'more

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nvcv_oP4rZw
(the video thing wasn't working. you're going to have to click the link. sowwy)

Can we just watch this video and applaud her? I found this video yesterday and writing this now, I'm listening to it for the 4th time. Every time I listen to it, I hear something new and I'm affected by it in a new way. It really makes me think about my friends who are in school. The ones who are struggling in various ways and I think about my sisters who want to become teachers and I'm inspired to follow suit so that I can make a change in someway. Why are children and teenagers struggling so much in the place where they are meant to grow and thrive? Why are they scared to be themselves in the place where it's supposed to be encouraged?
Girls, if there's one way that I want to make the world suck less, it's in our education system. Adults are frustrated with our generation. They're mad at us teenagers for being stupid. For doing dumb, scared things. But did they ever stop to think that maybe the place where we get learn the most, is the messed up place that they're running? Maybe, just maybe, a decent education system could make a change. I like her point about how suddenly when she took the PSAT, everything was about her scores on her paper at the end of the test. It's not about our passions or our experiences or our needs, it's about how well we can preform in the mold they made for all of us to fit into when there should be no such thing.
I showed the video to my sister Hannah yesterday and she loved it and I knew that it needed to go up here for all of you lovely and philishophical ladies to listen to. And I desperately want to hear each of your thoughts on the video and on our education system. And for the followers too, I want to hear what your thoughts on this are. So leave a comment if you want and let me know :)

don't you wish all high school's could be like this one in some little way?

Rose, I LOVE SHAKESPEARE. the end. No but seriously, I loved that sonnet you put up and it was quite beautiful and I liked it quite a lot. I have progressed no farther into Much Ado About Nothing because I had to read The Help (which was fantastic as usual) and Jane Eyre, which is much more captivating than daunting. I don't know why I thought I wouldn't be able to read it. 

Mercy, that song. *shudders* so many memories of Laura singing that song and me hating it. But Toby Keith forever. 

Laura, my little heart inside breaks into a million glowing pieces and starts sobbing when I read your post (I had to go back and re-read it right now). I can't even think of anything that compares to our friendship. Except maybe a peanut-butter s'more. Rose is the marshmallow. Seriously though, no explanation needed. Mercy is the chocolate because she is sweet and chocolaty and makes everyone a little spastic but feel really good. (....? that doesn't sound suspicious). Except maybe Rose is the chocolate and Mercy the marshmallow. Orrrrr, you know in a s'more how the chocolate and marshmallow kind of melt together and create a gooey blob of awesome-ness? Yep, that would be R&M  I'm the peanut butter because I'm a little more mellow and different than Rose and Mercy but I'm still pretty great. And you are the graham cracker because you're what everyone sees as "The Leader" but we all know that you're just as crazy and broken and messy as the rest of us. But you do kind of keep us in some sort of order ^.^

And finally, for my tbt 

I may have just laughed my head off at this video. Those sound affects were just to much for my head-phoned ears to handle. I have to go walk my very spastic dog now. WE GET TO SEE EACH OTHER ON SUNDAY AND I JUST CAN'T WAIT! WE SHOULD EAT PB S'MORES! because i super am craving one now. <3 Grace

The first picture has nothing to do with the rest of the post.

It's hump day!

Jarpad's hair isn't even moving. It's kinda creepy.
Like how much grease is in his hair? Ew.

Tomorrow's  JFK's birthday, so I'm reading, well I'm supposed to be reading, this book he wrote about courage in politics, unfortunately I haven't started it yet because I'm a procrastinator. Point being, this post is probably going to be short because I have reading to get done.

I'm going to reply to your posts now.

Grace: Your post was short and sweet like you. And, you're reading Much Ado About Nothing? That's my favorite Shakespeare play! When you finish it, you have to see the Kenneth Branagh version, because it's wonderful. And then you have to see the other version where Nathan Fillion play's Dogberry, because it's so great and just asdfghjkl;'

Laura: Your post was lovely, just like your face. It made me wish it was summer, because for me it's not summer until I have to go back to school and I wish that I hadn't wasted my summer playing poker, and actually, like read a book on my summer reading list.

Mercy: Your post was almost as glorious as your curly locks. But not quite as blonde. It made me miss your face. I can't wait until Sunday! I just can't.

Well, I have nothing to post about.

WAIT! No yeah, I've got nothing.

Uh....

Well, okay so, you know that part in TFIOS when Van Huten like talks about Shakespeare's 55th sonnet? It's in the first letter he writes to Augustus, I think. Anyway, I was rereading TFOIS, and when I got to that part I was like "I should read that sonnet because, Shakespeare." The only other sonnet I'd ever read was the 18th, you know, "Shall I compare thee to a summers day?" that one. And I really liked it, it's just Shakespeare wrote like a hundred-ish sonnets and I didn't want to read one and then hate it. So, I read the 55th sonnet, and now I'm obsessed.

Sonnet 55

Not marble, nor the gilded monuments 

Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme;

But you shall shine more bright in these contents 

Than unswept stone, besmear'd with sluttish time. 

When wasteful war shall statues overturn, 

And broils root out the work of masonry, 

Nor Mars his sword nor war's quick fire shall burn

The living record of your memory. 

'Gainst death and all-oblivious enmity

Shall you pace forth; your praise shall still find room

Even in the eyes of all posterity 

That wear this world out to the ending doom.

So, till the judgment that yourself arise, 

You live in this, and dwell in lovers' eyes.

And I was thinking, the internet is forever. So these words we write to one another are therefore forever. I mean, the point of this sonnet is true love outlives oblivion, which in the context of TFIOS is really just nope nope nope.

Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is, I love the little infinity we have created on this blog, and the 55th sonnet made me think about that.

Okay,  enough of the sappy stuff, it's Woman Crush Wednesday time.

So today for WCW, it's Hermione Granger. I'm rereading the Sorcerers Stone, and I have grown a new appreciation for that  bushy haired little girl. I mean, I've always loved Hermoine, but truthfully, in the first two books she kinda annoyed me. But this time through the books, I've realized Ron and Harry are slightly ridiculous and it takes a certain kind of awesome to put up with that. Not to mention, in the movies she's played by Emma Watson, who's the most beautiful person to ever live.

Okay, I'm going to bounce now. Grace, I'm looking forward to your post tomorrow! And I'm looking forward to Sunday when we'll all be together! Gurl please. -Rosie.

I've got this song stuck up in my head

Good morning, gurls, it's Tuesday!

actually describes me on Tuesdays

I literally loved all your posts last week, so much!
Grace, yours was short but awesome and lovely.
Rosie- you deserve an award JUST for that acceptance speech. Like, seriously.
Laura- your post made me all nostalgic and it made me miss y'all so much and made me look forward to THP and your grad party and AH! The Foursome rules.

Also, I was looking through The Fearsome Foursome board and I found the pin that perfectly describes us.

pretty much.

So you know how I did the blogging thing last week? Well, I'm doing another thing like that, but it's like a challenge thing.
25 Songs In 25 Days. (cuz y'all know how much I love music)

So, basically, there's like a list of things like 'a song that makes you cry' or whatever and you post the song.
I know, it's kind of boring, but at least it will give me something to do, right? Plus, then you can widen your music-listening horizon. How fun.

So, number uno.
1- A Song From Your Childhood.

WELL. The first song that actually came to mind was THIS

Yep. This song will haunt my childhood forever. Thanks Laura.


But honestly, I'd say this song is what I think of when I think back to my childhood.

And yeah, it's a weird childhood memory song, but there actually is history behind it... Grace, Judah and I used to sing this on the swing-set in the backyard all summer, I've listened to it at barbecues and countless car rides, and it's just generally a family favorite.


So, I just like re-did my blog design and stuff and I've been posting on it recently and it feels so great.
I mean, I love posting on this blog to your gurls and stuff, but I forgot how much I love blogging on 'enjoy the little things.'

It's like... I dunno. When I redesign my blog, it's like you can become a whole different you. And not like I'm faking  a part of me, just like- you can show a sillier side to you, or a softer side, or more intelligent side, or whatever you chose.
Since I "reopened", I guess you could say, my blog... I've begun to show a more serious side to me. A more thoughtful side. The side of me that actually notices the little things in my life that I shouldn't always take for granted. And it's really nice, you know?


I've got Teenage Dirtbag stuck up in my head and it's really annoying. I'd totally post this really pretty version of it, but it's explicit, so yeah. Probably not the best idea. {just in case you did want to listen to it- it's Teenage Dirtbag by Frank Hamilton.}

Sorry this post is short and a little random and rambly, but yeah- I hope you enjoyed it anyway :)
Rosie, I can't wait to read your post tomorrrooowww!
xoxo,
Mercy

Summertime, America, barbecue and Country music

Hay gurls hayyyy!

Happy Memorial Day! Summer is finally here :)

    I'm listening to my Zac Brown Band station on Pandora, because it's Memorial Day and the beginning of summer, and Country music, America, and summer go together, soaked in a big barbecue marinade and washed down with ice cold lemonade :)
    Except, summer doesn't officially start for me until a week from Friday.
    And even though that's when I finish school, summer isn't on the calendar until June 21st.
    Whatever. It was 86 degrees today. I went for a run and my whole neighborhood smelled like grilled chicken and freshly cut grass and sun-baked asphalt. I'm a bit warm right now, in shorts and a t-shirt. The breeze feels like a soft, warm hug- so unlike the harshly bitter winter wind, which keeps me indoors until I brave the frozen tundra outside with two pairs of pants & a scarf wrapped around my neck and face.
    So, I say it's summer. Because it sure as shoot feels like it :)
    Speaking of which, I loved how each of you described your own versions of summer in your posts from last week- definitely put me in a happy mood.
    Mercy- I liked all the lists in your post. I am so glad I now know so much about you. I mean, I knew some of those things already, but it was nice to see that deep down you are a very interesting person.
    And an organized one, who writes lists. ;)
    Rose- you should win an award for Best Little Sister Revenge Acceptance Speech Ever. When I am president I promise to make that happen. Your taxes will still be through the roof though.
    And, Gracie- I listened to both of those TFiOS songs and was thoroughly touched, by them and the last paragraph of your post. I totally agree- you gurls have had an inexplicably awesome impact on my life, especially in the these past couple of years.
    I feel like we were definitely friends, before those two weeks we spent together, when your mom was in California and Angel had Charlie and my grandma died. But we were the friends who had fun the few times we spent together each year, but kind of folded back up into our separate lives when  your gray van pulled out of our driveway and we ran after you, waving our goodbyes as you departed down our street. And then we spent two weeks together. We lived around each other long enough for us to let loose around one another, in a deeper way than ever before. We like, bonded. I don't even know why things changed after that visit- was it the crazy pictures we took in our backyard, or the amount of time G&M spent with our extended family and at our church, or just the sheer hours on end we spent together, laughing and yelling and watching all of our favorite movies?
    I don't even know. It was a new, deeper level of friendship. The start of something new and beautiful (I got both the High School Musical and Ed Sheeran references covered, aren't y'all proud?).
    And now, a year and a half later, The Foursome still rocks. We have crazy phonecalls every few weeks- I don't think I've ever told you gurls this, but the days you call on are almost always bad days for me, because I'm stressed or overwhelmed with my inner sadness or just a grumpy, PMS teenager. I feel like God plans those days, because hearing your voices cracking jokes and sympathizing over our Third Space between the telephones always cheers me up, healing me and helping me to remember what I have forgotten: happier days are always ahead. My life is not determined by my final Anatomy & Physiology grade. Jesus and chocolate fix pretty much everything. God is pretty amazing, and so are you three, and I am beyond grateful to our Creator for blessing me with you awkward, beautiful, caring, vibrant friends.
    And now? We have this blog. We're doing the Hartford Project because of you gurls (and Sara). We are literally making the world a better place, one teeny tiny step at a time, because we have banded together and agree that the world needs to suck less. And maybe we can help by being ourselves and ministering to a few people, whether through the laughs we publish on the Internet or by offering a helping hand, to those in need as well as to ourselves and our equally dysfunctional families.
    We have countless private jokes. We have weird traditions and anniversaries and birthdays we celebrate. We have The Aisle Runner to make us laugh on our wedding days, providing our husbands at the altar with a final chance to decide if they can handle our crazy. we even have our own Pinterest board. We are a drink disaster of four completely different yet utterly identical people, put together by our crazy Father in Heaven, Who decided He wanted to do something fearfully weird and amazing with us. What that is, I am not sure, but I cannot wait to see His plan unfold for us four <3
    Speaking of our Pinterest board, I thought I would end this post with a bit from that:

how we fangirl

this needs to happen sometime soon :)

enough said.

My weekly dose of JarPad!

I wonder how many people who follow our board think we accidentally pin P.F. Chang recipes and Tumblr stories to our board when in reality our private jokes are just that weird.

--Laura :)

we're all weird

GURLS! The Lizzie Bennet Diaries released a beautiful new video today which hints to other new episodes. My mind is exploding. Also, I found a new web series called "Nothing Much To Do" and, as you've probably guessed, it is Much Ado About Nothing and it is pretty good so far. They've only come out with a few episodes but it is more believable than LBD or EA (Emma Approved) just with the script and acting. It seems more real and less, produced. Not that I have anything against LBD or EA. But, Nothing Much To Do has finally made me start reading Much Ado About Nothing, something I've been wanting to do for a really long time. So it's all pretty great. Starting off my summer reading with some good ol' Shakespeare.
moving on
Laura, Florida was so much fun! It was hot, but it was lovely. I miss all the people we were able to catch up with while on our trip and I miss Disney and Universal and the fun times we had there, but it's okay. I'll survive.
What is summer to me? Let's see, it's driving down a twisting back road with Hannah, windows pulled down, Wicked and Disney music blaring, messy windblown hair. It's being exhausted by a week at Faith Quest or Hartford Project (!!!!!), it's constantly having sand in your hair and a sunburn on your shoulders. It's going to Dairy Cream or Stratton Brooke. It's staying up with best friends or sisters and joking about everything, telling stupid secrets and playing Truth or Dare. When the sun hits the floorboards early in the morning, and you're the only one up to see it. Staying outside way past sunset, just to play a Harry Potter game you invented. It's the way The Big E smells and Cape Cod sounds. The way bare feet look and the sound of fireworks. It's celebrating with bubbles and barbecue and constantly having hydrangeas in the house. It's the most amazing feeling of all time and that's why I anticipate summer so much.

The Foursome's Epic Summer 2014 Bucket List:
-See The Fault in Our Stars in theaters and cry (at least, Mercy and I (Laura) will)
-Cape Cod maybe?
-Finally have our 19-20 hour Harry Potter movie marathon
-Do the Hartford Project. Make the world suck less.
-Have one of our fun family parties where we wear cute summery outfits and eat too much of my mom's amazing food and laugh and hang out with our older sisters and watch a movie with all the kids
-Play with American Girl dolls like the 6-year-olds we really are
-try and become less of a snowflake (get tan) 
-shove flowers in each others hair (lets be honest, nothing we do is ever done gently) 
-write on the aisle runner
-try new and fantastic foods

I can't wait. 

Mercy, I loved your post a lot and I also love the word huzzah a lot. And TPG are coming out with The Story of My Life cover. I might be really excited. I liked all your lists because, unlike The Doctor, I really love lists. 

Rose, CONGRATULATIONS ON THE AWARD YOU DIDN'T WIN!! And that was a beautiful acceptance speech. I'm glad that I was part of your freaky-ness 

I am so obsessed with this song. Ugh, it's beautiful and makes me so excited for TFiOS. as does this song.

SO MUCH WONDERFULNESS 

Girls, I know that we talk about this a lot, but life would be SO different if we weren't friends. I feel like I wouldn't think about most things the way I do now just because I wouldn't have had your influence in my life. I think I'd be more obsessed with how I look, what other people think of me, and if I was going to pass high school. I think that Mercy and my friendship wouldn't be as strong and I think that I would just entirely be in a different place. Now, I can say this to almost all my friends because every person I know has an impact on my life, but I just always think about it when I read or write on here. It's just something that I don't like to think about, but I do, pretty frequently. It's weird. I'm weird. we're all weird <3 Grace

Accepted.

Well, it is hump day once more.

I spent my entire afternoon (or rather most of it) watching baseball and it was fantastic. And the Yankees beat the Cubs so it was worth it. But, then again, when is watching baseball not worth it? When the Yankees lose but wait that doesn't happen because I don't want it to happen and I can't handle that. That's right, never. Annnnnnnyyyyyyywaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyy, I'm going to reply to your posts now.

Grace: You haven't posted since.....since.....

Laura: On a scale of 1 to 7 your post was at least a 10. And this Monday gif:

Was a win. I applaud you like you just won an Oscar (ALERT ALERT WEE OO WEE OO! ROSE JUST FORESHADOWED THE REST OF HER POST! Kinda.....)

Mercy: Here's how I felt about your post:

Except it made me miss your face which was not cool Robert Frost. (Did anyone get that reference? Anyone?.....Anyone?......Bueller? Now that reference you got.) Also you remembered to tag your blog post for the first in forever. Good job. Gold star.

Laura asked in her post what Summer feels like to me. And so, to answer your question Siri (that's so ironic because Siri's supposed to do the question answering but whatever), Summer to me is one thing. You know when we go to the beach in Cape Cod, and take our Christmas card picture? That's what Summer feels like to me. Sand under my feet, waves crashing on the shore, millions of stars blanketing the sky as it get's dark, Mrs. Horn's voice, the obnoxious bugs: that's Summer to me.

Now, WAIT! I WAS JUST THINKING ABOUT HOW NOW FOR ME IS DIFFERENT FOR YOU. LIKE I'M WRITING TO YOU IN MY FUTURE BUT YOUR PRESENT. WHICH KIND OF MAKES THESE WORDS TIME TRAVELERS. WHAAAAAAT! Okay, now I am going to talk about what I previously foreshadowed, kinda.

As all of you gurls know, I'm tone deaf and in no other way musical. And I can't act. And I flat out refuse to dance. Point being, I think it's fairly safe to say I'm the member of the Foursome who is least likely to win an award. The problem is, I've always wanted to give an acceptance speech. I hate public speaking, but I think thanking all of my loved ones weird things like that in front of half of the nation would be so fun. So, I decided to give my acceptance speech to all of you here on OTAS. So here goes something because it isn't nothing.

"Wow, I literally never thought I would ever win anything. I mean really though. This is so unexpected. I like totally didn't expect that. Wow. Well, first off, I'd like to thank my mom for being a really good cook and therefore providing the nutrition I need to sustain life while making it a rather pleasurable experience. I'd like to thank my Dad, well father thanks for having the best mustache in the wide world, because it not only inspired me to be a better person, but it also bolstered my creative ability. To all of my annoying older siblings, you always talked over me and never let me finish a freaking story and always really mean to me, so SUCK IT! *Laughs evily* Thanks. To Grace and Mercy Ege thanks for encouraging me to fear strange things, for this I am eternally paranoid. And eternally weird, which was helpful in the pursuit of this award. I'd like to thank Laurajay my sister neighbor for being the fanciest person I know, and YOU HAD BETTER GET THAT REFERENCE. Thank you the creators of Mean Girls for being the fetchest people ever. Thank you pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis for being the longest word in the English language. Thank you Footloose for being the best musical with a person who's last name is Bacon ever. Thank you blue jays. Thank you grapefr- oh, I think I'm going to cry. Calm down Rose. You can do this. YOU IS A STRONG INDEPENDENT GIRL WHO DON'T NEED NO MAN. Mmmhhhh. Thank you to all that people who worked on this project with me for having faces. Thank you America for butter scotch pudding. Thank you Mexico for having the best food ever. Screw you Russia for Evegeni Plushenko. Thanks Chang for being the best manspiritman in the whole Milky Way galaxy and beyond. I LOVE YOU MAN! I just....wew. Okay, I'm being told to hurry up. Thank you Jesus for saving my sorry butt from destruction. And I just want to say, ALL TACOS ARE CREATED EQUAL! THANK YOU AND GOODNIGHT LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" 

Well, that was my speech. This is why I will never win an award: THE WORLD CAN NOT HANDLE THAT MUCH ROSE IN ONE SPEECH! No actually, no one could stand letting me finish a sentence. The world would explode

Here's some Billy Joel.

IT'S TIME FOR WOMAN CRUSH WEDNESDAY!

TODAY IT'S BEYONCE! BECAUSE SHE IS PERFECT. LET'S JUST TALK ABOUT THE TIME SHE DANCED LIKE A BOSS WHILE 6 MONTHS PREGNANT.  I would post that video but it's "not appropriate for this blog"/ that's so much work. So here's the best Beyonce gif ever.

She is perfect. Grace, I'm looking forward to your post tomorrow! Gurl please. -Rosie

The fault in my blog-post writing

Good morning, gurls-
It's Tuesday. Huzzah.

I like the word huzzah

Laura! Your post was so lovely and Laura-ish. I really liked it. A lot.
To answer your question- Florida was, in a word, hot. I liked it though. Driving was... long. But everything else was nice. Harry Potter World was, well.... beautiful, majestic, wonderful, magical, and absolutely perfect. Even if it was a little small. I loved it. And Butter beer- oh my gosh. Gurls, next time we see each other in person- WE ARE MAKING IT. It was soo delicious.

To answer your other question, Laura- about what summer feels like to me.. well...
It feels like waking up in a cool bedroom and smiling, because you know you can go back to sleep again. It feels like swatting mosquito's off your arms and putting on bug spray, of redoing your pony-tail one too many times because you're sweating and running around too much. It feels like bicycle tires on pavement, it feels like lying on a blanket in a soccer field while you watch fireworks erupt in the night sky above you.
It smells like cool Cape Cod mornings, of eggs and bacon and fresh-baked donuts. Of sunscreen and salt-water and onion rings. It tastes like homemade lemonade, of burnt hot-dogs and ice cream soup.  It sounds like country music, like water guns and splashes in pools, like the sound of bare feet on pavement. It looks like sun-burnt noses, frizzy hair, ice cream shoppe's, Cuffy's sweaters, the sun in the sky, sunglasses and summer dresses. Of best friends having sleepovers in the backyard and whispering secrets under the fading sunset.

All these things are what make up summer in my mind. Of course, I could go on, but that'd take way too long. Plus I have stuff I need to post about. But anyway, I hope you liked my view of summer, Laura :)

So. I've found out that I have a really bad time at posting about stuff that is interesting/relevant in any of my posts and most of the time it's because I just don't take the time to (cuz I only have an hour of computer time) or my mind is like mushed broccoli. Or both. Usually both.

So I've decided, although it's lame and uncreative, to start my posts with like blogging/journaling prompts, which are all over Pinterest, actually.

So here it goes.

It's a list of 7's. 7 questions/prompts of 7 things. I like the number 7, okay.

7 everyday things I couldn't live without: 
1) My bed
2) socks
3) food
4) tea
5) the computer
6) my iPod
7) Does my family count? Also, Millie. (yes,I said it)

7 of my favorite songs: 
1) Classic by MKTO
2) In Christ Alone by whoever.
3) Miss Missing You by Fall Out Boy
4) Close Your Eyes by Dan+Shay
5) You Always Make Me Smile by Kyle Andrews
6) Little Things by One Direction
7) Human by Christina Perri

7 adventures I want to have before I die: 
1- Learn to skido (as in "Blue Skido, we can too!" I mean, if that counts.)
2- Travel all or most of the world, with my three favorite people ever.
3- Be on Broadway at least once
4- Fall in love
5- Get married
6- Live. ("To live would be an awfully big adventure...") 
7- Die? ("To die would be an awfully big adventure...") 
7- Go to Neverland

7 pastimes I never tire of doing: 
1) Sleeping
2) Eating
3) Procrastinating
4) Listening to music
5) Reading
6) Fangirling?
7) Watching movies

7 treats I could eat everyday:
1) Brownies
2) Ice cream soup
3) Chocolate cake with peanut-butter frosting. (Throwback Tuesday! Hahaha,okay, remember when we made that at The Backus gurls house for my birthday and I wrote Shank on the top in chocolate chips and Laura was like "I HATE YOU ALL" and covered it up by putting on more chocolate chips and then somehow we all started the "This one time, when I was 7..." story and Ben and John and his friend we're like <.< and we were all like "DON'T CUR" aahhhhh good times... and then in that same trip we went adventuring in the snow and Laura was like "Look out for the snow-snakes!" but really it was just the tracks from my crutches that I didn't even use and we tried bobsledding down onto the frozen pond and epicly failed and wow I'm laughing really hard right now, like so hard I'm crying because like SNOW SNAKES, LAURA??! I will never get over that oh my gosh I MISS YOU GURLS!) 
4) Chocolate milk
5) Rice-crispy treats
6) Mike and Ike's! I LOVE Mike and Ike's!
7) Spanakopita (if that counts, which it totally does.)

7 people I'd be lost without: (I don't know if Jesus counts cuz He's technically not a person.. I mean..)
1) Jesus
3) My parents
2) Laura Backus
3) Rose Backus
4) Grace Ege
5) The rest of my siblings
6) My Twinnie, Johnny.
7) Evgeni Plushenko
7) My bestest friend, Rachel

7 places I want to visit:
1) England
2) Ireland
3) Sweden
4) L.A
5) San Francisco
6) Hawaii
7) Nashville


And that's it! Y'all are probably like

 And I'm like

this is my new favorite gif btw 

AND BOOM- two LOTR's gif's in one sentence-thingy.


WOW THIS POST IS SO LONG- OOPS. THAt awkward moment when caps lock is on and you don't realize and you're like

No but really, I'm actually so proud of this post. It's nice and long and even though it doesn't have a point, I mean... at least I didn't just ramble, right? I even got nostalgic about past Foursome memories.

Okay so with that, Imma gooooo... I'm really bad at ending my posts, so here's a song-

I really love this song, especially this version (and cuz Grace doesn't like the original. You're welcome, AB.) 

And a GIF of my baby

Just... don't ask.

Rosie, I can't wait to read your post tomorrow, as always.
xoxo, Mercy Curly-locks

I am almost forgotten and I almost forget.

GURLS.

most accurate gif in the history of accurate gifs

    I was all excited to post today! Then, I almost forgot- our weeklong break threw me completely off track. Then, when I remembered, I was like, "Oh, I can just post tonight, I have a paper to type up so I can do both while I'm on the computer, I'm so good at multitasking *pats self on back*"
    But just now, as I was sitting at the counter bar in our yummy-smelling kitchen (sausage meatballs and placenta polenta for dinner), reading Kisses From Katie (which I highly recommend to everyone everywhere) in my new Sacred Heart sweatpants (we got them today and I got to revisit the campus and fall in love with it all over again) and I remembered: "OH SHAT LAURA J IS COMING OVER TONIGHT AND WE ARE WATCHING FROZEN AND WALKING DOWN TO THE WALL (our favorite haunt) I MUST POST NOW!!!!!"
    So, here I am.
    Moving past myself. Gurls, how are you? I always miss our posts when we take time off, or when I cannot read them. OTAS is becoming part of my routine- a warm, fuzzy habit which I hope we can keep up for as long as possible. Don't y'all agree? I like these awkward and public letters we exchange back and forth over the cyber warmth of the Internet. I love when we see each other in person, when the sisterly halves of the Fearsome Foursome are reunited like a nerdy, hysterical family. No one is "The Mom" or "The Baby of The Family." We are each equal, although undeniably diverse. Everyone contributes, whether it be with a hug or a snide, well-meaning comment or baked goods or a shoulder to cry on or a body to spoon with (in a very PG-rated way;). Let's never ever forget to be awesome.
    G&M- HOW WAS FLORIDA?? We should have a phonecall as soon as possible- Wednesday night maybe? I want to hear all about it, in your posts as well as in our shared Third Space over the phone.
    Did you appreciate my TFiOS reference? Speaking of which, it comes out in theaters in *drumroll please* 18 DAYS! WHICH ALSO MEANS 18 DAYS UNTIL I FINISH HIGH SCHOOL!
    In other news, my graduation party is on the 1st! The Ege clan is coming, riiiight?
    In other other news, I have freshman orientation at SHU for the next 2 days after that- I'm actually really excited. Originally I was extremely nervous, but I went for a few jogs and cried out to God and talked to my mommy and I feel a lot more confident about making my first impression on the kids I'll call my classmates in the fall. Some of us have connected a bit over the Internet on our Class of 2018 Facebook page. A few kids have friended me and I have actually met in person a few of my fellow incoming freshman (one of whom was this really sweet and pretty girl who loves Mean Girls and goes to Notre Dame and we decided we are going to be bffs in the fall!!). Gurls, I'm so happy. And excited. And sad. And nervous. But God is in control :)
    In other other other news, I have already almost raised my money for the Hartford Project! It is almost actually happening, ladies, and I cannot wait to serve the community and the Creator we stand in awe of, with you fabulous ladies and your cool-seeming church friends.

oh yes, ladies and gents, we are going to change the world! (Well, at least Hartford)

    I am beyond excited for this summer. I say this week we all make a Summer Bucket List addendum to each of our posts, little things we should do together whenever we get together (which will hopefully happen a lot). I mean, we don't have to. I feel like because I post first every week I sort of set the tone (read: dictate) what you three post about on your consecutive days. And sometimes that could be a good thing, but I don't want to be so dang bossy. I know I hate it when people tell me what to do, so if you gurls think about it we could write a little list.
    Here goes:
The Foursome's Epic Summer 2014 Bucket List:
-See The Fault in Our Stars in theaters and cry (at least, Mercy and I (Laura) will)
-Cape Cod maybe?
-Finally have our 19-20 hour Harry Potter movie marathon
-Do the Hartford Project. Make the world suck less.
-Have one of our fun family parties where we wear cute summery outfits and eat too much of my mom's amazing food and laugh and hang out with our older sisters and watch a movie with all the kids
-Play with American Girl dolls like the 6-year-olds we really are
    Ah, summer. I see it in the leaves on the trees and my mom's beautiful gardens and the freckles creeping across my nose. Summer sounds like country music and waves crashing on Nauset Light Beach in Chatham and the churchy songs I sing in the VBS band. It tastes like s'mores and barbecue and Cape Cod kettle donuts and the sips of hard cranberry lemonade my parents let me have from time to time. It feels like grass under bare feet and sun kissing my shoulders. Is that what it feels like for everybody? What does summer feel like for you gurls? What tastes come into your mouth when you dwell on June, July and August? What smells waft through the breeze, letting you know that summer is truly here? I wonder, I wonder, I am fascinated by how different things mean different things to different people. We live in a world of fascinating diversity and I am kind of obsessed with that fact.
    Well, it's after dinner now, and Thing 2 (Laura J) is going to bounce through my front door anytime now, with her fiery curls and sassy flip flops. So I should go. Mercy, I cannot wait to hear from you tomorrow :)
--The Laura B
-

And this is why Laura writes the first blog post every week.

in which Martin Freeman accurately describes how I feel about this day of the week in particular

    I have never know what to do with Thursday. It's like the random day of the week, the one I always tell my friends we should hang out on because I never do anything significant on Thursdays. Today is so boring that if I didn't have everyone else's posts to reply to I would have nothing to write about. So here goes.
    Grace/Shank- still experiencing PTSD and anxiety from your Monday post. If I have learned anything this week, it's that we should never ever switch up the posting order ever ever again. It is something we all had to learn the hard way. Rosie says I should seek revenge, but oh, we'll get to that later ;)
    Mercy- the Hank Green GIF was the highlight of your post- not because it was bad, but because I freaking love Hank and I could hear him saying "I think you're gorgeous" in his flat, goofy voice and it makes me want to go watch every Vlogbrothers video ever.
    Rose- I really was torn between dishing out a big fat "IIII TOOOOOLLLD YOUUU SOOOOO" or being all "oh honey don't get me wrong, I'm super excited for school but if I don't get a roommate just as weird and awesome as you I'll probably implode from missing you so much too" when I read that heartwarming paragraph about me from your post. Listen. Next year, if you -all of you- don't spam me with letters/pictures/texts/phone calls/Skype/FaceTime/care packages/in-person visits (Fairfield is less than fifteen minutes from home, after all) I'll set the Division 1 lacrosse team at SHU on you.Y'all have been warned. I will probably go that crazy if I lose contact with any or all of The Foursome. And you gurls know well that I am hard enough to handle in my normal state.
    Anyway, my plan for this post was to seek revenge on Grace, or give a stern lecture about how we do not let the Russian noodle man penetrate our posts, but I thought I'd be a loving person and just do a Throwback Thursday photo or two:

from Lyman's, forever ago

LITTLE MERCY MY HEART JUST AGH

This could constitute as revenge for Grace's Shanko post, I guess, but I love these sweet pictures of you gurls and I feel a little bad so here's an awkward Backus sister photo that out-embarrasses either of these:

    I don't even know what's going on. Mary-Kate (left) appears to be a cowboy stripper. Rosie (center) looks like a homeless bandit creeper, and I (right) seem to be dressed as an overwhelmed dance mom.
    Fast forward to now, almost four years later. MK graduates from nursing school on Saturday (she made it through college without reliving her brief stripper career woo hoo). Rose wears much less colorful clothing. And real pants. But she's just as creepy. Me? I'm still overwhelmed, but taller, and will be graduating from high school on June 6th- TFiOS day! Which reminds me-

    Grace, I watched the extended trailer, like I promised. Twice. It was so beautiful. And I really feel like it's going to be close to the book and I'm so excited and Ansel Elgort is adorable and I hope we all get to see it together so we can cry and fangirl and cry some more :)
    Oh! Since everyone made lists of the weird things they do, here's mine:
1. Sing extremely loudly in the shower
2. Smell everything
3. Find faces on inanimate objects
4. Feel bad for stuffed animals when I neglect them
5. Enjoy getting lost- on a run, walk, or in the car
6. Chew on the skin around my fingernails
7. So this one time, when I was 7, I couldn't remember if mustaches went over your nose or under your nose, so I drew all these pictures of my dad -when I was 7- of him with his mustache over his nose.
    ^^it IS Throwback Thursday, after all.
    The funny thing is that when I read all of your lists, most of your weird habits I found extremely lovable. Usually it's the weird quirks about people which make them my favorite people. :)
    I apologize for this crap-post. Teaching moment: this is why Laura posts first every week. Else she comes up with something random and shotty, and Grace emotionally scars everyone, and Rose displays actual emotion, and Mercy gets me all nostalgic. Weird things happen. Future self, I hope you post better on Monday- OH WAIT! We won't be posting at all next week, since G&M are in Florida for pretty much forever. But in a week and a half I will post again, and write something completely devoid of poor Russian figure skaters. I promise.
--Laura :)

Crayons. (I couldn't think of a title, so this will have to do)

It's hump day!

And I'm trying to write a blog post while baking cookies which is never a good idea. I'm going to reply to your posts now.

Laura: I loved your post. Especially the part were you talked about how beautiful I am, I mean it's true, but it was so nice of you anyways.

Grace: YOUR POST ON MONDAY SCARED THE LIVING CRAP OUT OF ME I JUST NOPE NOPE NOPE. This gif accurately describes me reading your post:

Your post last Thursday was fantastic though!

Mercy: Because of Grace's post I was convinced you were going to write a post from to point of view of Mr. Bag, so thank you for not doing that. I thought your post was fantastic though! You have the best gif selection on the face of planet earth.

In Grace's last post (not the scary one, the one last Thursday), she asked what are weird habits are so I'm going to list them.

• Everything I do. 

Anyway, I don't have anything to post about. WAIT!

This is the best gif in the history of ever. Or the history of gifs. There was a time before the gifs. And the internet. And Bronies. It was a glorious time believe me. I still have nothing to post about. Tumblr time. Okay, now I'm bored. Coffee is so good. The trees have leaves now.  Why don't I go to Hogwarts? I would look hotmazing in Wizards robes. No Ben. Don't sit on this couch. Stop. No. Blarg. Cashews. Cat shoes? Flowers. Pink flowers. On Wednesdays we wear pink. Mean Girls. Laura's leaving for college so soon. Weird. BOOM! That's what I'll post about. High five self.

Okay, so as you all know, well all of you who are members of the Foursome, Laura is graduating and going to school and leaving us in 4 months. And as much as I am happy to have my own room, and believe me I am pretty dang happy about that, I am upset that my dear sister is abandoning me for "higher education." When Laura's gone who's going to to rewrite Disney songs for musicals that I'm writing? Who's going to sing the Very Potter Musical with me while we're doing the dishes? THE ANSWER TO THESE QUESTIONS IS NO ONE. NO ONE WILL BE HERE TO FINISH MY SANDWICHES! THERE'S JOHN BUT JOHN. I HATE EVERYTHING! ASDFGHJKL;' THIS IS SO BEYOND NOT OKAY. Whatever. I'll just spam her with a million letters a week. Suck it Laura. Suck it all.

JARPAD HAS A GURL PLEASE FACE!

Remember when I was going to do Woman Crush Wednesday in every post and then failed? I should probably unfail because all of you have cute little weekly things and I can't be an individual! I just can't. So today my Woman Crush is Ellen because she's the best person ever. Except for Beyonce of course. And she clearly has ILS.

Well before I bounce here's this hilarious SNL skit.

Laura, I'm looking forward to your post tomorrow. That looks so weird. Anyway, gurl please. -Rose

I'm a Supernatural woman

Good morning gurls, it's Tuesday.
And a very busy Tuesday at that!
We're doing last-minute packing for Florida, dropping Millie off at her old home to stay there while we're in Florida, I still have to go to school, we're celebrating Mother's Day today since we'll be busy on the real Mother's day....
*takes deep breath*

I'm a Supernatural woman. Lot's of SPN gif's in this post :)

  And just for kicks and giggles...

hehehehe. I love nerdy jokes

Okay, first I'll reply to all your posts! Then I'll write about.. yanno. Whatever I'm gonna write about.

Grace... I.. I have no words. I shudder to think that we are all acquainted with The {Russian} Noodle Man... he scares me so bad.

Rosie- Your post was so fetch

I really, really loved it. Cuz you know- you doesn't love Mean Girls? (the movie, I mean... not actual mean girls..)

Laura, you haven't posted yet... so... I can't really tell you if I liked your post or not... sorry.


Okay. So today, I'm gonna talk about bow ties! (bowties? is it one word? I don't know.)

Well, I'm not really gonna talk about bow ties. I just wanted to use this GIF. 

Gosh. I feel terrible lying.

I have no idea what I'm posting about today, gosh dangit.

I think I'm just gonna go off Grace's last post (not the Shanko one) and post some of my weird habits.

1- I almost always wear 2 pairs of socks on my feet cuz they just get that cold.
2- I need at least three cups of tea a day to survive.
3- I start a book and never get around to finishing it (Mockingjay, The House Of Hades, Inkheart...)
4- I try and do sometime productive (like write a blog post) and procrastinate till the last ten minutes on something stupid like Youtube (Except Youtube is NOT stupid)
5- I always doodle during school
6- I never sing out loud when I'm wearing headphones.
7- I feel bad when I get rid of old clothes, like they might come back to haunt me someday. Same with stuffed animals.
8- I literally cannot dance normally to any song, no matter how are I try. It's just like arms and legs everywhere.
9- I'm terrible at writing lists.


Okay, I'm really sorry this post is really lame but I honestly did procrastinate like a bunch and I don't know why cuz I knew I had to write this and AUUUGGHH WHY INTERNET?! WHY!?

Here's a few GIF's before I go.

aww<3

double aww<3

 I have to go now.

xoxo, Mercy