It’s been a year and a half since OTF hit the ground running. It’s been two years and a month since I’ve seen Sydney. It’s been two and a half years since I’ve seen Aimée. It’s been five and a half years since I’ve seen Blaze. And I’ve never seen Kayla! (Lizzy, I think I saw you like two days ago). But all that is changing—TODAY!
That’s right, Sydney, Aimée, and Kayla are all flying into Columbus for the weekend—Sydney and Aimée are even on the same plane! Blaze, unfortunately, won’t be joining us physically since tickets out of Cali are $$$, but she is one hundred percent here in spirit. And I have a *hopefully* great 36 hours planned filled with some awesome CBus activities (which Lizzy will join in, too!), great food and booze, and obviously cup-filling conversations. I am over the moon excited to hug these women that have helped carry me through last year’s hellscape and this year’s somehow worse?? hellscape. These are my people and we finally get to be in the same room! Because we’re all screaming with excitement, our collaboration today is another opportunity for us to say how fucking much we love each other.
So, ladies, this is what everyone has to say about how great you are:
SYDNEY
“I am me lmao.” —Sydney
“Before we met, Zack would divulge all the MoviePass tea as a way to cope with the mental abuse you all were suffering through. So I had started forming ideas in my mind of who these mysterious New Yorkers he hung out with all day. You were somehow exactly how I thought you’d be and nothing at all like it. You are a white chick living in NYC and ascribe to a basic things like TikTok, partying till 2am, and doing things for the gram. But you also went on Birthright. You also speak up for yourself in every situation. You also support your friends with your everything—mind, spirit, and body. You would give me a limb if I needed it and you would be upset if I said no. You care so much, it affects you physically. Because you’re heart is so big, I saw (got?) past the crazy NYC energy you emit and fell in love with you and now we’re soul mates.” —Shelby
“Maybe this is a basic answer, but I love how passionate Sydney is about...well, her passions! In the past year and a half, whether she knows it or not, Sydney has introduced me to tons of cool music, helped me open my mind in regard to certain people and social issues, and inspired me to try and reignite my childhood love of reading. She also (literally) introduced me to her lovely roommate and super cool cousins, who I love keeping tabs on on Instagram. I can't wait to see her again tomorrow!” —Aimée
“Sydney, you are my sister that I have never met in person (until today!). Your enthusiasm is just contagious and I love how unapologetically committed you are to the things, or people, you love. I know that you will always have the latest gossip and news, especially if it is about Taylor Swift. I love that I can just completely fangirl out with you about her. We are Swiftie Soul Sisters! You have such amazing fashion sense and you make the best playlists. I love that you are not afraid to share your struggles and successes. Thank you for bringing so much energy to the group!” —Kayla
“I love your passion!! You are not ashamed of what you love and that is so rare!” —Lizzy
“I love reading your pieces, they're brilliant! I like how personal and vulnerable your writing is! I love your smarts and your determination to enjoy yourself. I respect the hustle and love how knowledgeable you are in all your different interests. Thank you for bringing important conversations to the OTF universe, you make it keep spinning!” —Blaze
AIMÉE
“The baddest bitch evaaaaa.” —Aimée
“Aimée strikes me as the perfect person to teach middle school. She is strong and smart and takes no shit, but she is also kind and patient. She is who I think of when I think of which of my friends are actual adults.” —Sydney
“When we first met, I remember thinking ‘Oh shit, this chick is gonna make me run for my money.’ Of course besides Blaze and Noelani, I was usually the smartest in the English lit classroom. Well, all that changed when I had class with you. I read your piece for Maertz (or a piece of it, didn’t he make us workshop each others?) and all my fears were confirmed: You’re a bloody genius. I wanted to hate you, but you’re just so awesome? Who else picks me up at my NYC apartment to drive me to a beer fest thing while dressed in the appropriate costume? And we became great writing partners, didn’t we? Thanks for loving and greatly respecting the written word as much as I do.” —Shelby
“Meme, Meems, Mema... what can I say? There are more things that I love about you than I can put into words. You have been my best friend since middle school and are one of the few people I would tell anything to. I love your sheer determination, wit, and ability to get things done. You are a take-no-shit kinda gal and I admire that so much about you. I also think you are one of the smartest people I have ever met. You have an ability to pick up fine details about people and situations that is just incredible. I love that you are following your heart and pursuing an amazing career as a teacher. I know your students will remember you forever and I know you will prepare them well. I love you so much beautiful friend!” —Kayla
“Aimee, I love your decisiveness and ability to discern what you like and don't like. You have a quality soul and can really empathize with people. Your work is always quick-witted and insightful, but you're kind on top of it! I admire your work ethic and how multitalented you are! Thank you for all that you do for OTF.” —Blaze
“I love your attention to detail!! I wish I had your planning skills!” —Lizzy
KAYLA
“I love me, what can I say? Lol” —Kayla
“Kayla, without a doubt, every time I turn to the Slack to vent about how terrible I am at this and how I’m always late (LOL today) or fucking up, you are the first to tell me otherwise. You’re the first to say ‘Omg see Shelby, your hard work pays off!’ when we finally have over 100 followers on Instagram. We’ve never met but you go out of your way to boost me (and everyone) up. You’re not just sweet tea, you’re the sun that makes the tea leaves grow.” —Shelby
“Kayla! You have an amazing aura and a great laugh. I love how you are unapologetic and possibly a little rowdy in the best way. Your pieces are so heartfelt and genuine, they always make me see something in my own life in a new light. Thank you for sharing your work!” —Blaze
“Where do I begin?! I've known Kayla for 23 years and have loved her for 13 (lol...just being honest!). She is one of the strongest and most put-together people I know. As her best friend, I obviously know that she has flaws and what those flaws are, but her flaws are grossly overshadowed by her many, many amazing qualities. She's been with me through all the hardest times of my life. I've never once doubted our friendship - yes, even those times when we fought in high school! I think my life would simply end if Kayla wasn't in it. I just love her so much!” —Aimée
“I love your bubbly attitude!!” —Lizzy
“Kayla is my Taylor Swift twin flame. I have never really had friends that share the same interests as me, so having Kayla as my friend is so fun because she will talk about Taylor Swift with me. She is so sweet. I can't wait to meet her in person this weekend because I also know that she is going to be the life of the party.” —Sydney
LIZZY
“Dis me.” —Lizzy
“Lizzy feels like the coolest person I don't know (yet). Like If I was a kid, I would want to be Lizzy when I grow up. She makes me laugh on our OTF staff calls and seems like simply the nicest person any of us could have the pleasure of knowing.” —Sydney
“I literally cannot WAIT to meet Lizzy for the first time this weekend. She makes me laugh at every OTF Zoom meeting, and her pieces always manage to feel relatable. She's also a Disney person, so that'll give her, Kayla, and I PLENTY to discuss. I like to think of myself as a naturally good judge of character, and I've always had a feeling that Lizzy is just truly good inside. And that can be hard to find!” —Aimée
“Lizzy, you are just a ray of sunshine! Whenever I think of you I just think of brightness and happiness. I love how you always have a smile on your face whenever we talk and it is absolutely contagious. I also love your collection of earrings... if I actually wore earrings I would look to you for advice! I love your positivity.... and how you are positively not afraid to express your love of Crocs. Maybe I need a pair? I just love your smile and thank you for bringing such amazing energy to our group!” —Kayla
“Remember when we would match our makeup in the morning? Before work, while getting ready, we would message each other inspo on Instagram and after deciding, we’d attempt the same technique/colors/vibe. I know it was silly, but I knew I wasn’t going into work alone that day. I knew that when I saw you, we’d be in the same, rickety boat with too many leaks. We’d drown together and look fucking flawless while doing it. I love that you hype up my Leo side and remind me that I am a bad bitch, that we’re both bad bitches and fuck anyone who says otherwise.” —Shelby
“Lizzy, you have a great vibe and are able to transfer it to the page so well! I love how honest your pieces are, I feel like they always paint a full picture and draw me into the situation. I love hearing your perspective and discovering more about your world!” —Blaze
BLAZE
“9/10. Room for improvement.” —Blaze
“Blaze—Maggie, if I may—I fucking love you. Do you remember the night I first smoked at your house? We had been hanging out for like two hours before hand, from campus to your apartment. Finally, I was like ‘Alright, I’ll get going’ and serendipitously, Adrian showed up as I was leaving. We made our pleasantries and he said something about smoking and you pulled out your bong and I hesitated for a second, screaming in my head, and then I said something like ‘Oh, now you bring out the fun stuff?’ and I stayed and smoked with you guys and then that became our thing. I’d come over, we would smoke and talk random pretentious shit as English/history majors do. You’d make me white trash pad Thai with peanut butter and pasta noodles and then I’d walk home, super stoned, on Geary looking at the lights and the buses and the city. I love my two then-roommates dearly, but I never fit perfectly in their friend group (totally on me, not them). But I felt like I belonged with you. Still feel that way, babe. Till the end.” —Shelby
“I love Blaze's artistic spirit. She always brings such light and authenticity to her pieces for OTF that is original and refreshing to read! You can tell she's embodying her truest self through words. She's also a fellow bookworm and I love following her on IG to see what she's reading!” —Sydney
“Blaze has such a way with words. That's no dig at all our other amazing writers...but they also know Blaze is special. I live for her "I Can't Help But Wonder" posts! Also, she's a great follow on Instagram. I hope we get to meet in person sometime soon!” —Aimée
“I love your openness for life!!” —Lizzy
“Blaze, can I just say you are one of the most wonderful writers I have ever met? Every single time I read one of your pieces I am more in awe of your ability to write. I love that you aren't afraid to talk about the hard things and you are very open about who you are. You are beautiful inside and out! Although we have never met in person, I feel like I could sit and hang out with you for hours.” —Kayla
“Wait, one more thing, do you remember when you twerked in my face? Lifechanging.” —Shelby
SHELBY
“On the one hand I love myself, I’m awesome. On the other hand, I hate myself. Tis the life of a Gemini.” —Shelby
“When I met Shelby's fiancé Zack, he told me I reminded him of his (then) girlfriend Shelby and he thought if we met each other that we would be inseparable. It was true. Shelby is my other half. She is the person I want to tell everything to because she knows what to say back. She cares about everyone around her and she is an amazing friend.” —Sydney
“I've said it before and I'll say it again - when I first met Shelby, I sooooo badly wanted to be her friend. I already had the goal of making more friends in my graduate program, but she in particular seemed like someone I'd get along with. I guess I was right! I pursued her friendship in our two classes that semester, convinced her to hang out with me a couple times after I'd graduated from St. John's, and then weaseled her into letting me write for her new newsletter last year. Just kidding - I'm pretty sure the feelings were all mutual! Truly, I think one of my greatest successes of 2020 was finding a way to consistently keep Shelby in my life. I love that I talk to her every day now. Whether we're geeking out over The Sims, cringe-reminiscing about grad school, or workshopping an idea for OTF, our conversations always bring me joy. She's truly a gem[ini].” —Aimée
“I love your confidence!! You know what your passionate about and you go for it.” —Lizzy
“Icon. An inspiration. A very dear friend. Thank you for sharing your extremely specific and wildly fascinating knowledge with the world, I love reading your thoughts and hearing your theories! Thank you for leading OTF to new places every week and caring so deeply about your passions. Also you're incredibly hot. I love you.” —Blaze
“Shelby, our fearless leader. The one who made all of this possible. We have never met in person (until now!), but I feel like I have known you forever. I love your dedication to OTF and how committed you are to making voices heard. You are so aware of the world and your surroundings, and you aren't ashamed to speak about topics that are "taboo". I love that you are open about women's sexuality because I think it isn't discussed enough. I love how much of a planner you are and I think you could start a career at Canva. Your creativity is endless and your words are so powerful. I love your spirit and your confidence. You are amazing!” —Kayla
Show Your Support: Native Land Digital
We are on stolen land. You and I, right here, right now, are on land that was never ours to take. Yet, many don’t know this. Even less care. But learning—and acknowledging—is half the battle and Native Land Digital aims to have everyone take that first step. Native Land Digital is a free, online tool to learn of the original Indigenous territories in a specific area. The project, which started in 2015 as Native-Land.ca, strives to “create and foster conversations about the history of colonialism, Indigenous ways of knowing, and settler-Indigenous relations, through educational resources” like their comprehensive and interactive map and the Territory Acknowledgement Guide.
Land is sacred and, as Native Land Digital stresses, it is not easy to draw lines that divide land into chunks that delineate who “owns” a different part of it. In reality, land is “not something to be exploited and ‘owned,’ but something to be honored and treasured.” To honor the sacredness of the spaces we’ve built our lives on, the spaces we often take for granted, we acknowledge and extend our hearts to the land’s original owners and to Mother Earth herself, for bearing the weight of humanity.
Shelby and Lizzy acknowledge the Kaskaskia, Myaamia, and Hopewell land they live on. Shelby also acknowledges the Shawandasse Tula people and their land.
Sydney acknowledges the Munseen Lenape and Wappinger land she lives on.
Aimée acknowledges the Merrick land she lives on.
Kayla acknowledges the Kiikaapoi, Jumanos, Wichita, and Tawakoni land she lives on.
Blaze acknowledges the Ramaytush, Ohlone, and Muwekma land she lives on.
Daily Intention:
Today I will…
Stay tuned for pics from this OTF WEEKEND!
Here’s some nifty buttons for you to press, enjoy: