New year. Same blog. Different logistics.

And we're back! May the happy-dancing commence.

I looked up "we're back" in Google images and this majestic GIF popped up so of course I couldn't not post it.

    I think the abrupt hiatus was necessary. We all needed a break. Christmas and New Years came thundering down upon us, and I for one was definitely wrapped up in a tizzy of shopping and decorating and knitting presents while binge-watching Grey's Anatomy on Netflix, not to mention the onslaught of finals and saying goodbye to college friends as we went our separate ways for holiday break.
    Today is Friday, January 8th, and I -Laura- am posting. I don't believe I have ever posted on Our Thoughts Are Stars on a Friday. But here I am.
    We have established some new rules on this here blog. Rules that seem a little less like rules- more relaxed and achievable, tailored to The Foursome's busy schedules. Starting out this year, 2016, we have some new regulations for the members of OTAS:
1) posting is being reduced to one per week by one member of The Foursome. This is my week, since I always seem to go first, Next week, Mercy can post on any day- no more assigned days, since everyone can't always find time to post before their deadline. We don't want to force anyone to pull lukewarm blog posts out of their butts at 11:59PM on their assigned day, as we have all unfortunately been in the habit of doing for these past few months.
    The concept of posting every week was way more doable in 2013, when we were all in high school, unemployed, and relatively antisocial. Fast forward almost three years, and the story is entirely different. I'm almost halfway done with nursing school. Grace is working and taking college classes. Mercy is juggling performing arts, work, and the increasingly intense workload which comes along with junior year. Rose is handling her last two years of high school while leading middle school youth group students and attempting to read every Kurt Vonnegut novel possessed by the universe. I think it's better that we cut down on posting, giving us more opportunities to set aside time to write creative, meaningful posts which are less rushed and more thought out. I personally feel as though my writing style has changed since the conception of OTAS, like I'm simply blogging to give you a brief update on my crazy life, or as if I'm writing to the vast expanse of the Interweb instead of my three best friends. I have made it my New Year's Resolution to gain back that old sparkle I used to write with, to try to inspire and challenge and change things for the sake of my people, regardless of who might see this post.
2) if you miss a post, you're a cottonheaded ninnymuggins. How hard is it to post once every four weeks? Unless one of us is a werewolf (and didn't tell the other three so we could all become Animagi, how rude) it seems near impossible not to blog once a month. Only under the most dire of circumstances will no punishment be inflicted.
    What punishment, you may ask? I have not thought that far in advance. I'm trying to live one day at a time here, friends. Please bear with me.
3)

    This is a rule for two reasons: one, because this GIF is perfect and I/we just really wanted to use it. And two, because Sundays are for church and resting. We need some structure, and it doesn't hurt to have one day a week without the stress of blogging hanging over our heads, a day to spend napping and watching football and drinking coffee in sweatpants.

Indeed, Richard Griffiths, indeed.

    In conclusion:
    This is my post for this week. Mercy, you're posting between Monday and Saturday of next week, and then Rose, and then Grace.
    On Sundays:

   And until Mercy posts next week:

    I'm sorry, but I found all of these high quality Uncle Vernon GIFs/memes and I went a little overboard because they are all fantastic.
   Bye for now!
--Laura :)