Mon cauchemar

Salut, tout le monde ! C'est Sabine, et j'ai eu le pire cauchemar. Je me suis levée à 2h30, et j'ai crié. Sandrine a été fâchée parce que j'ai interrompu son sommeil. Alors, Sandrine aime aussi la fille qui était la « star » de mon cauchemar.

I'm just warning you, this nightmare that I had actually happened in real life before. Je sais, j'ai toute de la chance. 

So, here is how my nightmare began. I was talking to Julien, so I thought it was going to be a a very good dream. I don't remember what Julien and I were talking about in the dream, but that isn't the main focus of the dream. Sadly. I wish it were!

Chrissa then made an appearance. She was wearing her favorite outfit. She wore it when I saw her last summer, and she called it her "French" outfit. It made me want to gag. Anyway, that was what Chrissa was wearing in my nightmare. She came up behind me and said, "Hey, Sabs and Julien! You two are French, so I need your opinion. Don't I just look so French? I think I do! I mean, everybody knows that all French girls wear striped shirts, boots, miniskirts, and berets!" 

The worst part of this nightmare was that Chrissa had told me the exact same thing in real life. So yeah, in my dream, I was practically reliving my time spent with Chrissa. That is something that I don't want to do. After she said that in my nightmare, I immediately covered her mouth and told her that I was having a conversation that didn't concern here. Therefore, I don't want her dumb interruptions. In real life when this happened, I was talking to Lilly. Lilly basically shouted a profanity-laced "go away" at Chrissa, but Chrissa didn't get it. She just stood there and kept trying to talk to me. 

My nightmare was pretty true to reality because Chrissa kept talking. I then grabbed her and yelled at her (which I wish I had the guts to do in real-life sometimes, not going to lie). "Listen, Chrissa," I said firmly, "First off, don't call me 'Sabs'. Second off, no, I'm pretty sure only people who have a stereotypical view of French culture--'people' includes you--believe that French people dress like that. Thirdly, I'm French, you've seen me, and I don't dress like that. Before you embarrass yourself further, just stop talking about things you aren't familiar with. Tu comprends?!?!"

Chrissa nodded, smiled, and said that she would love to stay and chat, but she was going to watch Le fabuleux destin d'Amelie Poulain with her friends, and she didn't want to miss it. Of course it was that movie. That's like the stereotypical French movie. 

After she left, I banged my head against the wall, which I seemed to be doing a lot of lately. Julien stroked my hair while I whispered to nobody in particular, "Je veux la tuer." 

Then, I woke up and screamed. I knew that something similar would happen when I did the summer program in the US that I usually go to. I know Chrissa will be there unless by some miracle she has a dance intensive during one of the three weeks. Sadly, I'm not that lucky. Miracles like that never happen to me.

As you can tell, Chrissa really bothers me sometimes.

~Sabine

You can't spell "Spain" without "pain"!

Salut, tous! C'est Julien. Oui, je sais que je n'écris pas souvent, mais je vais essayer.

One day, after school, Sabine was bragging to me about the grade she received on her most recent Spanish dictée. For those who aren't familiar with the French education system, a dictée tests orthography and grammar. A teacher reads a short exercise, and students have to write down what they hear. Many grammatical aspects of the French language are found in writing only, so it can be difficult. However, Sabine and I are good at dictées matter the language. Sabine likes to show off her Spanish skills to me since I am a huge hispanophile, so I just let her. It's kind-of cute.

In France, grades are on a 20 point scale. Normally, it is difficult to get an 18, 19, and especially difficult to get a 20! The equivalence to the American "C" would be an 8-9! However, Sabine somehow managed an 18 on her dictée. She always somehow manages to get high grades, even in subjects she hates like math and science. 

Sabine then began talking to me about how she hopes to study in Spain next summer. She would stay with a host family and vow to only speak Spanish during her visit. I instantly got jealous. Sabine's family is definitely more well-off than mine is, and they can afford to do these things. Even though Spain is below France, I haven't been. I've been to what seems like most countries in Europe, but Spain wasn't one of them. I would love to do a summer study program like that! I told Sabine to at least send me a postcard. She laughed and said, "Maybe you can come with me? That would be even better!"

I sighed. Maybe someday. Someday. Just not next summer...

Then, Sabine changed the subject to Aurélie. She has this weird thing built up in her mind in which she thinks I want to date Aurélie. I swear she gets these ideas from the Americans she meets when she goes to that summer program in the US. Dating in France and dating in the US are totally different. Of course, considering American movies are the most popular among us French teens, Sabine could get ideas from those, too.

I told her that I didn't want to date anyone. I have too much to think about for that. She seemed relived. 

Sabine moved closer to me and said that I looked good in the shirt she had given me. She then asked if I spent the birthday money that Aurélie had given me. I said that I'm saving it to possibly go to Spain. 

"C'est bon," Sabine smiled. "Tu peux voyage en Espagne avec moi!"

I laughed. "Cela serait une bonne idée."

I really hope that Sabine stops the nonsense with Aurélie now that I told her I had no interest in dating at the moment. I'm not about to lose my best friends...especially if it has to do with me. 

-JH

Joyeux anniversaire, Julien!

Salut, tout le monde! C'est Sabine, et aujourd'hui, c'est l'anniversaire de mon meilleur ami, Julien. Il a maintenant 15 ans. 

I invited Julien to my house, and I told him to wait in my family's formal dining room while Aurélie and I brought out the gifts we got him. Aurélie wouldn't tell me what she got him, though I bragged about my gift to her. I was very pleased with what I had chosen, and I was sure Julien would like it.

"Les surprises de Julien sont arrivées!" Aurélie and I said in unison. Julien smiled; he look excited to tear open the bags. He should be. My gift was awesome. 

"Joyeux anniversaire!" We surrounded him. He told us that he was very happy to spend his day with two of his favorite girls. 

Like a young child would, I jumped up and down, telling him to open my gift first. What? Like I said, I chose a great gift. I have been waiting to see his reaction for weeks--no, months!--and I didn't want to wait.

However, he decided to open Aurélie's gift first. Whatever. By waiting to open mine, he is technically saving the best for last. After he opened Aurélie's gift, it was confirmed that he was saving the best for last. She gave him a sappy, sweet card (which I want to read yet don't want to read) stuffed with 25€. Seriously...?! Cash is the most impersonal thing you can give somebody for their birthday! Yeah, I sound like a hypocrite saying that because I'd rather have my mom give me money, but that's totally different. It's my mom who has different tastes than I do. Friends know what their friends like; they shouldn't resort to stuffing cash in a card.

Julien thanked Aurélie and gave her a hug that certainly did not look like a friendly hug. I averted my eyes. 

Because I can't deal with the possibility of Julien dating MY OTHER BEST FRIEND WHO KNOWS I LIKE HIM, I harassed him about opening my gift again. Way to act like an 8-year-old, Sabine, right? I didn't care because his reaction towards my gift would be priceless. 

He pulled the LOSC (Lille's football--or soccer, if you're American--team) t-shirt out of the bag.

"Merci, Sabine! C'est parfait!" He said with genuine enthusiasm. "Celui-ci, j'aime beaucoup!" 

I just want to point out that he didn't say that Aurélie's gift was perfect...not that I'm keeping score or anything. I just knew he is a huge fan of LOSC, so when I saw that shirt, I knew I had to get it for him!

Julien then gave me a hug, though I thought it was more friendly than the hug he gave Aurélie. 

A few minutes later, Julien began talking to Aurélie, and they left me out of the conversation. 

My anger towards this situation began to flare up again. I chose to look away, and I may or may not have smacked my head against the wall. To me, it's a big deal. Then again, I'm a teenage girl. Boy stuff is a big deal to me. My not-so-compassionate mom says that I have bigger issues to worry about, issues that involve family. However, I believe those are Sandrine's issues...not mine. So yes, my Julien issues are my number one problem. 

Sorry for rambling on about my problems, which are nonexistent compared to others' problems. I just have to get it out somewhere! 

~Sabine

Tagged: Style questionnaire

Coucou, tout le monde! 
We have been tagged by Anthrodollogie, and the questions we have to answer are fashion/style-related. Seeing as the three girls who write on this blog all love clothes, we thought all of us would answer. Sabine's responses are blue, Sandrine's are purple, and Aurélie's are pink. We asked Julien if he'd like to reply, and he declined. That's Julien for you.

1. How would you describe your style?
Sabine: I like classic pieces in neutral colors that never go out of style. 
Sandrine: My style is a mixture of "girly" and "edgy". I like to pair rougher-looking pieces (like military, bomber, and leather jackets and boots) with lacy dresses and skirts.
Aurélie: I guess I'll go with "girly". I like ruffles, lace, and a lot of pink. My favorite colors to wear are cream, light gray, light pink, and white. 

2.What are your wardrobe staples?
Sabine: I rarely take off my "beau cœur" necklace; it was a gift from my late grandfather. My other staples would have to be pretty sweaters and blouses, heels, and my dress watch.
Sandrine: Jackets, boots, floral skirts, lacy dresses and skirts...anything with glitter. Lots of glitter. Lots and lots of glitter. 
Aurélie: Nice flats, thin knit cardigans, and short, fun skirts. Oh, my ballet slipper necklace is one of my favorite pieces of jewelry to wear. 

3. Most expensive clothing item you own?
Um, we'll answer this one collectively. Our two outfits from the 2009 Liberty Jane Clothing holiday line are probably our most expensive clothing items.

4. Most wanted item?
Sabine: I want a black peplum top and a cropped, light gray wrap sweater with ruched 3/4 length sleeves.
Sandrine: A lace leotard, riding boots
Aurélie: I want the Sweet Spring Dress from American Girl. I also want a light gray peplum skirt. 

5. Favorite Designer?
We'll answer this collectively: Liberty Jane Clothing, Royal Doll Boutique (on Etsy), Forever18Inches (on Etsy), L'Atelier de Sitara (on Etsy)

6. How much do you spend on clothing?
Sabine: Ummm...let's just say, I wish I had a job. 
Sandrine: Enough to the point that my mom tells Sabine and me that she wishes she had three boys because they are less expensive. Our brother never wants anything. 
Aurélie: A lot, but I try to shop the sales rack only. 

7. Favorite places to shop?
Sabine: Cache-cache, H&M, Mango, and online shopping
Sandrine: Galeries Lafayette, Mango, H&M, Zara, online shopping
Aurélie: I like all of the stores that the twins listed. 

8. Favorite Fragrance?
We aren't big perfume fans, sorry!

9. Favorite ways to do your hair?
Sabine: I hate styling my hair, so I usually wear it down. I'll put it in a ponytail sometimes. Like I said, I don't get creative. 
Sandrine: Oh, I get really creative! As you know, aside from dancing, I live for styling hair! My favorite style is THIS one!
Aurélie: I usually just wear it down with a clip to the side. 


10. Most prized possession?
Sabine: My "beau cœur" necklace, my Miley Cyrus concert t-shirt, and my Miley Cyrus CD collection
Sandrine: My make-up, pointe shoes, and programs from some ballets I've seen 
Aurélie: My ballet shoes necklace, my pointe shoes

We tag anybody who would like to fill this out! Please let us know if you do fill it out; we'd love to read your responses!

Gros bisous,
Sabine, Sandrine, et Aurélie

The basket that we made...?

Coucou, tout le monde! C'est Aurélie et Sabine! Aujourd'hui, nous voulons vous montrer le panier que nous avons fait pour une fille qui s'appelle Molly. 

Here we are with the basket and things we need to put it together. Here is the list of things we included:
-the basket
-a lollipop
-the Maurader's Map
-a necklace with a Pokeball charm
-an origami turtle
-a t-shirt with the Mockingjay pin
-two pins (Harry Potter and Hunger Games-related)
-pretty tissue paper in spring-appropriate colors
-green ribbon
-a card with our names

I decided to put some tissue paper in the bottom of the basket to make it more colorful:

Here we are with the completed basket!

Here's a close-up of what we included:

I wrapped it up in tissue paper and tied it off with the ribbon:

Here we are with the basket in its completed-and-ready-to-be-mailed stage! 

We received word that Molly did, in fact, get the basket we sent her, and she was very happy with it! De rien, Molly! We had fun shopping for things and just putting the basket together. We definitely want to participate in the swap again next year. 

Bisous,

Aurélie et Sabine

The Arrival of My AGPT Spring Basket

Coucou! C'est Aurélie!
This year, I participated in the AGPT Spring Basket Exchange, and my basket arrived today. I was pleasantly surprised to see a box for me when I got home from school.

I knew what it was immediately, so I tore off the paper and opened the box...

...and removed all the tissue to reveal the most adorable, brightly colored basket! It rains all the time in Lille, so the basket was a nice reminder of sunshine. It was filled to the brim with the most adorable goodies.

I found a card with my name on it, and I thought that I would open that first. After all, it just makes sense. Plus, I wanted to know who sent me the basket so I could properly thank them. 

After opening and reading the card, I pulled out a beautiful pink (my favorite color) box of tissues. Not only will it match my room when I am finished redecorating it, it will also help me to combat seasonal allergies.

I then pulled out an adorable stuffed doll. If Alice in Wonderland were a ballet, I'd imagine Alice looking just like the doll. Needless to say, I think I'm going to name her Alice. 

I also got a framed needlepoint image of ballet slippers. That will go perfectly in my room, too. I also love that the frame has fleur-de-lis on it; that is a symbol of Lille.

I loved the note cards and little posters that I got as well. My birthday is coming up in June, so I'll definitely send invites using my new cards. The posters were cute, too. One was of a ballerina, and the other featured a girl holding a an umbrella and standing in the rain. Both are perfect for me, seeing as I want to dance professionally and I live in rainy Lille.

Last but not least, I received pink and green floral hair accessories, a small tiara, and the cutest crocheted chick. 

Merci beaucoup to AGPT member JG* and her girls for thinking of me! I loved everything!

Bisous,

Aurélie

PS: Are you curious about the basket Sabine and I put together for somebody? We will share photos as soon as the basket arrives to its recipient. We don't want to spoil any surprises in case she reads our blog. 

Brilliant Blogger Award!

Salut, tout le monde! C'est Sabine!
Our friend McKenna, who is guest posting on our friends Sophia and Emma's blog, nominated us for yet another award. This one is called the Brilliant Blogger Award. Thank you so much, girls!

Here are the questions that go along with the award:

1. If you could have a 'flower pen name' like we have here on the blog, Violets and Daisies, what would is be? 
"Every Rose Has Its Thorn", named after a cover that Miley Cyrus sings ;)

 
2. What is your favorite ever Bible verse and why? 
I don't have one, and I don't think my friends do, either. We aren't overly religious, plus religion and faith are personal matters in France. It all stems from our country's history, the religious wars, etc. I could probably do a whole post on this topic...

3. What are the blogs that inspire you most?
All of our friends' blogs inspire us to keep writing! We love hearing from our readers and reading their blogs.

4. If you and your friends could visit any country in the world, where would you go?
Julien and I would definitely go to Spain. This is kind-of warranted, Julien being the hispanophile that he is. Plus, I speak Spanish, too, and think Spain is gorgeous. I want to go to the US with Aurélie since she has never been there!

Now, it is my turn to tag five people:
Dani
Reese
Wendy
Saoirse
Cate

All you need to do is answer the questions and nominate five other bloggers.

Thanks again, Sophia, Emma, and McKenna!

~Sabine

A surprise after school

Salut, tout le monde! C'est Sabine! Aujourd'hui, j'ai reçu une surprise...

When I got home from school today, I noticed a package near the door. Normally, my mom places packages in the kitchen. I wonder why this one was the exception.

I bent over and saw that it was addressed to me! I always love to get surprises in the mail, so I checked to see who the sender of this lovely surprise was. My friend Ava, whom I've blogged about before, sent it to me. She lives in North Carolina, but we go to the same summer program. That's where I met her. I wondered what she sent me. 

I threw my school stuff on the floor and set down. I tore the top part of the mailer off out of excitement. Ava has never sent me anything before, so when she asked for my address, I was instantly curious.

I unfolded the pretty blue (my favorite color, nonetheless) tissue paper...

...and I squealed. I don't squeal about a lot, but this was totally squeal-worthy.

She sent me a Miley Cyrus concert t-shirt! Ava included a note saying that she was cleaning out her closet and found this shirt from when she was 9. She said that I could probably fit into it since it was very big on her when she had it, and since she hates Miley Cyrus, she thought that I would like it. I do! Not to repeat myself, but Miley Cyrus is probably my favorite singer and actress in the entire universe. I've loved her since 2006, and I just couldn't outgrow her. I love having a concert tee, even though I've never been to one of her concerts myself.

Thank you, Ava, for thinking of me!

Have any of your friends surprised you with a thoughtful gift? Were you ever or are you a Miley fan?

~Sabine

Des problèmes dans la vie quotidienne

Salut! C'est Julien! Je n'ai aucune idée pourquoi je n'ai pas écrit, mais je trouve que je suis timide. Alors, Aurélie a eu des problèmes avec la danse classique et Sandrine, et je lui ai parlé. Malheureusement, cela a créé des problèmes pour mon rapport avec Sabine...

As close as I am to Sabine, I definitely think that Aurélie is more like me personality-wise. We are both on the shy, quiet, and reserved side of the personality spectrum. We best express ourselves through our favorite hobbies--mine being football (soccer) and hers being ballet or playing the flute. However, it is hard when the thing you love most is also the thing that is tearing you apart. Aurélie doesn't really like to verbalize her problems with Sandrine to Sabine because after all, Sandrine is Sabine's twin sister. Although Sabine has her fair share of problems with Sandrine (and shares all of them with me), Aurélie still doesn't want to hurt Sabine's feelings. Though, I doubt that Sabine's feelings would be hurt. Aurélie is just way too nice.

Anyway, I have been spending a lot of free time with Aurélie, and we have been discussing some of these problems. To say the least, Sandrine is extremely competitive and views Aurélie as her only true competition. Aurélie, in some ways, does take that to be a compliment. Sandrine only views true talent as competition, and I know that Aurélie is a beautiful dancer. However, Sandrine makes Aurélie feel very uncomfortable by giving her dirty looks, making rude comments, and talking about her to other dancers. Plus, Sandrine is interested in studying la dance classique at the Conservatoire de Lille alongside Aurélie. 

Aurélie cried. "She is making me hate my one true passion, Julien. I was going to drop my private flute lessons so I can dedicate more time to dancing, but now, I'm considering dropping ballet. That would mean dropping my dreams, though. I want to dance professionally for le ballet de l'Opéra National de Paris more than anything in the entire world, but so does Sandrine. I don't want to have to deal with her."

I told her that she should never quit. She's worked so hard to get where she is today. It is ridiculous to give up because somebody is being nasty, and I told her that she needs to get tough. I just can't see anybody who wants to dance professionally as being weak. I had to get the courage to defend myself against my dad; now,  it's Aurélie who needs it to stand up to Sandrine and continue to live her dream. 

I gave Aurélie a hug. She said, "You are right. My ballet instructors aren't exactly the nicest, but I can deal with their criticism. I just can't deal with Sandrine's nastiness. Like you said, though. Competition does seem to dominate the professional world...especially when it comes to promotions and getting contracts resigned."

Now, as for my problem? Sabine thought that I had a crush on Carlota, Aurélie's exchange student from Spain. Fortunately, Sabine got over that and admitted that it was a misunderstanding. Now, she thinks that I have a thing for Aurélie because I've been spending so much time with her. I just feel like I can understand Aurélie more than Sabine can. I know what it's like to be quiet and have a hard time raising your voice; I can relate to Aurélie. I don't want to lose Sabine as a friend, but at the same time, her jealousy of other girls I might talk to is getting ridiculous. I'm not interested in a relationship. Relationships in France have an entirely different stigma than they do in the US. I don't want to get into it, but because of that, I don't want a relationship at this time.

What advice would you give Aurélie? What advice would you give me?

-JH

Poisson d'avril

Salut, tout le monde! C'est Sabine, et aujourd'hui, je vais expliquer le poisson d'avril. Le poisson d'avril, c'est similar au jour américain, "April Fool's Day". 

Le poisson d'avril is like an April Fool's Day prank, but it involves taping a fish to somebody's back. I decided that I wanted to prank Aurélie when I visited to help her with some homework.

Since pink is her favorite color in the whole entire world, I decided to draw a pink fish that kind-of resembled the American snack food called Goldfish. I'm sure you remember reading about Micki's obsession with Goldfish on my blog, right? ;)

I then carefully cut it out...

...and took it with me chez Aurélie. When I gave her la bise (familiar French greeting consisting of four kisses on the cheek)...

...I quickly slapped the fish on her small, bony back.

"Ah, Sabine!" Aurélie laughed. She took the fish off her back and taped it to the wall of her room. "Bien, non?"

We sat on her bed to talk. She told me about her problems with Sandrine during their practices for their studio's spring ballet, Coppélia. Sandrine is highly competitive in nature, and she tends to see the best dancers at their ballet school as serious competition, so I tried to tell Aurélie that Sandrine's attitude towards her should be taken as a compliment more than anything. Sandrine obviously thinks Aurélie has talent! However, maybe I shouldn't have said that. My mom thinks I enable Sandrine's bad behavior and make excuses for her. Maybe she's right?

So, did you pull any pranks today? Tell me about them, if you did!

~Sabine