Love is in the Simple Things
By Sarah It was a cold winter night in 2021 — one of the final days of my first semester of junior year. The past few months had been entirely virtual, and for my final project for a class, I’d be presenting on the controversial topic of euthanasia through Zoom, which I’d worked on it…
January Book Review
By Sarah I have an interesting history with reading. I acutely remember being four years old and peering over the shoulder of my grandmother, who was reading me Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett. Squinting at the words, it looked like scribbles of nonsense to me. I let out a lengthy sigh, willing for my first…
In a Storm, Be Like a Tree
By Sarah This past week, I glanced out my window to a scene of pouring rain, billowing wind, and a darkened sky. After several weeks of pleasant, sunny weather, we encountered the first real storm of the season. Of course, the rain was welcomed — not only do our plants need the liquid, but I…
Anxiety, Avonlea, and Anne: The Disappointment of Regression in “Anne of Green Gables”
By Sarah Exhausted from an afternoon soccer game, fifth-grade me slipped into my bed, trailing my fingers across the spine of the novel my mother had given me: Anne of Green Gables. She’d assured me that it was a classic — a read that was indispensable for a young woman. I remember raising my eyebrows,…
Going 20 in a 30 Zone: How I Failed my Driver’s Test (and Learned a Great Deal)
By Sarah “Listen, I would like to be able to pass you,” said the worn-out DMV employee, scribbling on her clipboard. “But you went ten miles per hour under the speed limit. Automatic failure. You didn’t pass.” She stepped out of my car, leaving me with the crushing blow of a failed driver’s test. I…
18 Lessons From 18 Years of Life
By Sarah From a young age, I adored the date of my birthday: November 1st. It’s in the midst of the fall season, when leaves crunch beneath my feet on the walk to school and the weather is crisp enough to light a candle. Also, it’s the start of November: the month of giving thanks.…
Two Years With the Sister Site
By Anna and Sarah The other day, combing through our posts, we came to the recognization that it has already been more than two years since we began work on our blog. The Sister Site has brought us copious amounts of joy, and we can’t thank all of our readers enough for tuning in to…
Carry On With Compassion: Learning from the Amish Perspective
By Sarah The date was October 2nd, 2006. West Nickel Mines Amish school, a one-room schoolhouse in an Amish community in Pennsylvania, was alive with activity as students filled its interior. At first glance, it was an ordinary Monday, characterized by schooling in reading, writing, and arithmetic. At 10 in the morning, the unthinkable occurred.…
Senior Season: Entering my Last Year of High School
By Sarah Class of 2022. I looked at the sticker that had been mailed to me, celebrating my start of high school and the class that I was in. It was the fall of 2018, a few days before my first day of freshman year, and I tucked the sticker away, smiling at the fact…
Day-in-the-Life of a 14-Year-Old (Summer Edition)
By Anna If I could describe my summer of 2021 in one word, it would be consistent. I spent the majority of my summer with the exact same schedule and I got into a groove with the tasks I had to get done and what was next in my day. This might sound strange, since…
Unpopular Opinion: Back-to-School Season is the Best
By Anna Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love summer — the break from schoolwork, beach-filled vacations, and endless hangouts with friends are some of my favorite parts of the whole year. However, something is exciting about going back to school.But what is so special about going back to all the homework, tests, and early…
The Butterfly Effect
By Sarah The butterfly effect: the sensitive dependence on initial conditions in which a small change in one state of a deterministic nonlinear system can result in large differences in a later state. Yes, that sounded complicated. In simple terms, the butterfly effect, derived from the work of mathematician and meteorologist Edward Lorenz, is the…
On Treadmill of Life, Rest is Simply the Best
By Sarah Stepping out of my last period, it was a warm, sunny day. The clouds had cleared to display a brilliant blue sky, proclaiming the joy of a special event: my last day of junior year. It had certainly been a tumultuous school year. About three-fifths of it had been virtual due to the…
Lucrative Jobs for the Summer
By Anna Summer: a time of endless hours spent with friends, shopping, going out for lunch, going to amusement parks, and so much more. Although all of these things are incredibly fun, they can add up to be pretty expensive. To make up for the money spent over the summer, or maybe just to save…
A Planet in Need
By Sarah It was the first semester of eighth grade. Grabbing my backpack and stepping outside of my English classroom, I was met with an unusual smell. The scent of thick, burning smoke was wafting through the air, watering my eyes and instigating a coughing fit. It had happened somewhat suddenly — I hadn’t even…
3 Ingredient Pancakes
By Anna Whenever I see recipes online that claim to have only 3 or 4 ingredients, I tend to be dubious. How could something truly be that simple? I picture it similar to a final project in school, where the teacher claims it is only 3 steps but truthfully there’s a million more add ons…
Road Trip Must-Dos
By Anna Last summer, our family took a road trip across America to drop our brother off at college. It was a great way to send our brother off — we spent lots of time together since the road trip was about two weeks! Although I’m someone who tends to get carsick ten minutes into…
20 Simple Moments to Find Joy In
By Sarah When I first began writing for this blog, I explained that my personal motto was “La vie est belle,” or “Life is beautiful” in English. After taking French for nearly five years now, it seemed like a perfect way to encompass an important aspect of life for me. Oftentimes, we can only focus…
Differing Personalities
By Anna When I was a small child we adopted a kitten from a neighborhood pet store and brought her home, making her our first pet (besides the many fish we had over the years, which often died within a couple days despite concerted efforts to care for them — my dad even spoke to…
Pesto Gnocchi Recipe
By Sarah Recently, my family gathered in celebration of my grandfather’s birthday. Due to the pandemic and the fact that many of us are spread across the country, we decided to “meet” over Zoom for this celebration. My grandfather’s side of the family is somewhat large, especially by today’s standards. He grew up with four…
5 Places I Can’t Wait to Visit
By Anna COVID-19 has led me to reminisce on all the amazing memories I’ve made traveling. Thinking about the endless adventures and delicious food I’ve tried has helped me create a list of places I can’t go without visiting sometime in my lifetime. My personal mantra, “Don’t skip your shot”, really ties into this bucket…
Spring Into Action
By Sarah On March 20th, winter came to a close. It was the first day of spring, characterized by sunny skies, a breezy wind, and pleasant weather in my town. I looked out the window and felt a mixture of emotions. Not only had this year been speeding through surprisingly quickly, but spring was always…
“Like a Hug” Berry Cobbler in a Mug
By Anna I acquired my love for baking when I was little, and weekends that were free of plans were always my go-to days to whip up something sweet. As my schedule has cleared up more and more due to online school, I’ve found myself with more time on my hands to bake. Although my…
“Blend It to Mend It” Smoothie Recipe
By Sarah Making smoothies is fairly simple. You gather up your chopped frozen fruits and vegetables, add a little liquid, pour it all into the blender, and watch your smoothie appear. Just like that, everything is blended together, delicious, and perfect. So why can’t life be this easy? In the choppy, difficult part of our…
Don’t Hide — Go Outside!
By Anna Living in a COVID-19 hotspot (starting in March 2020 and still the case in February 2021), leaving the house has become something more cherished than ever before. Staying cooped up in my bedroom, working on homework assignments, and attending live meetings has taken up the majority of my time, and leaving my house…
What We Can Learn From Dogs
By Sarah It’s an average day in my household, still generally confined inside due to COVID-19. We focus on our work, school, and activities in our separate spaces, coming together occasionally to grab some food, say hello, or ask a question. There’s an additional constant in our routine: our dog, Georgie. He waits downstairs with…
Top 10 Activities When Lockdown Boredom Hits
By Anna Learn to Paint Painting has never been on my list of talents, however sometime in the middle of the summer I decided to use watercolors again. Using an online class I was able to take the courses at my own speed while genuinely having an amazing time trying it. I can admit my…
Why Sharing a Room Won’t be Your Doom
By Anna Practically since the day I was born, I have always shared a room with my sister. Although a decent amount of our experience has been spent arguing over small inconveniences and unattended-to chores, I’ve learned a great deal of lessons that have helped me not just inside, but also outside of the room. …
An Apple a Day (in Your Oatmeal!) Recipe
By Sarah An apple a day keeps the doctor away, right? Make it three! With an influx of apples in our refrigerator, I’ve been trying to find creative ways to empty out our fruit drawer. Apples are perhaps the most versatile fruit to bake and cook with, which ended up working in my favor. My…
Why All Teens Should Get a Job
By Sarah As a child spending her summers at the pool, the most dreaded ten minutes of the hour was “Adult Swim.” This was when the lifeguards, sporting red shirts and sunglasses, would go on break and announce that all swimmers under fourteen were to exit the water. I would let out a groan and…
Our Quarantine Puppy
By Anna Only about a day into quarantine, we had our eyes set on an adorable puppy who was up for adoption, “Georgie.” The last couple days had been horrible – school was canceled, sports abruptly ended, and we weren’t able to see our friends. The only silver lining in sight was the prospect of…
Our Top Ten Favorite Reads
By Sarah and Anna Both of us love to read (almost) as much as we enjoy writing. As kids, we recall memories of snuggling into the couch, reading our treasured Harry Potter and The Mother-Daughter Book Club series. While screens and social media can lure us away from authentic book-reading, there is something special about…
When a Sibling Leaves for College
By Sarah College. The famous word that stirs a whirlwind of emotions. The place that millions of young adults in the US flock to in the fall. The place known for its lectures, dorms, and newfound independence. The place that’s a blessing and a privilege to attend. As high schoolers, we are constantly reminded of…
Staying on Track as Life Moves Virtual
By Anna Ever since school went online and I have had to spend the majority of my time at home, simple tasks have become harder and harder. Focusing on one activity has become more of a challenge than before. Although I’ve learned to adapt to this state of “unmotivation,” I still continue to slip up…
Finding the Positive in Difficult Times
By Anna Two weeks ago, I was sitting and watching the news when I felt very down. As art is one of my favorite pastimes, I decided to lift my spirits by drawing something uplifting in our driveway. I looked through the multiple chalk colors, and eventually came up with a decision of what I…
When Life Gives You Jam…
Recipe for Apple Cider Snickerdoodle Cookies and Apple Crumble By Sarah “Why do we have so much jam?” It was May, and we’d been quarantined indoors for months. The past weeks had held a wide variety unexpected twists and turns, so I wasn’t too surprised by the site in our garage. The floor was covered…
Welcome to the Sister Site!
By Sarah & Anna This is our first official blog post! In order to receive a formal introduction, please visit our “About” page, but we’ll offer an abridged version here. Our names are Sarah and Anna, and we are teenage sisters with a passion for writing, discovering the world, and sharing and discussing meaningful topics…
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