ExcerptChapter One
The Real Mary-Kate and Ashley
You and your friends are watching the MTV Video Music Awards on television, talking about the newest music and admiring the cool outfits the celebrities are wearing.
Then you spot your favorite stars stepping out of a limo at the end of a red carpet. You grew up watching them on television and in movies. You hold your breath as they wave to the crowd and smile into the camera.
It's Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. They have the life of big stars, you think. They're always so glamorous, always going to the hottest parties in Hollywood, right? Their lives seem so different from yours. But if you told that to Mary-Kate and Ashley, they would most definitely disagree! "Most of the time we do what every other teen does," Mary-Kate says.
"Right," Ashley agrees. "We go to school, hang with our friends, and go out on dates. You know, everyday stuff."
They take shopping trips to the local boutiques, rush out to catch the latest movies, and go to the beach. They're into kickboxing, yoga, and Pilates.
"When we were younger we liked to kick around a soccer ball and we were cheerleaders. But now we're into going to the gym," Ashley says.
The sisters have crushes on celebrities and guys at school just like you do. They listen to the music of Dave Matthews, U2, and John Mayer, and go to concerts with their friends.
It may be hard to believe but Mary-Kate and Ashley lead very normal lives. They were born on June 13, 1986. (Ashley is the older twin by two minutes!) They've grown up in suburban Los Angeles with their brother, Trent, who is two years older than they are, and their little sister, Elizabeth, who is three years younger. Their parents are divorced, and Mary-Kate and Ashley divide their time between their dad and their mom. Their dad, Dave, is a mortgage broker. Their mom, Jarnette (Jarnie), used to dance with the Los Angeles Ballet.
"Trent is a typical big brother," Mary-Kate says. "He thinks of us as his little sisters. He's very protective, but he also likes to tease us. He's great at drawing and sports. He's also into volleyball."
"We miss having him around all the time, now that he's in college," Ashley adds. "But luckily he's not that far away, and he tries to come home and have dinner as often as possible."
Lizzie, their younger sister, is very independent, and well rounded. She loves ballet and acting. She has made a few guest appearances in some of Mary-Kate and Ashley's videos. Right now she's not interested in becoming a professional actress, but she enjoys performing in community theater.
Mary-Kate and Ashley also have a sister and brother from their dad's second marriage to, McKenzie Olsen. Taylor is six years old, and Jake is five. "It's great having little kids to play with," Ashley says. "We help out with baby-sitting a lot. With so many kids around, the house gets really crazy sometimes. But we love it!"
"Our family is a lot like everyone else's," says Mary-Kate. "Sometimes we argue. You know how it goes: One minute everyone is watching TV. The next, an argument breaks out over the remote control. But most of the time we get along great. We're very close, and we look out for one another. We all share our stuff. But the rule is you have to ask before borrowing something!"
"Mary-Kate could be a bit sneaky about 'borrowing' when she was little," reveals her mom, Jamie. "Once, when the twins were very young, money was missing from all the kids' piggy banks."
"And suddenly Mary-Kate was very wealthy" adds their dad, Dave. "We divided the money back up and returned it to the correct piggy banks. Then Mary-Kate was benched for a while."
The Olsen household has always been filled with pets. They have had dogs, cats, birds, turtles, and hamsters. Mary-Kate recently adopted a new puppy, a black Chihuahua-poodle mix that she named Jack - plus she and Ashley have two other dogs at their dad's house. Mary-Kate also has two horses, CD and Star. She stables them at a nearby ranch.
Horseback riding is one of Mary-Kate's favoriteactivities. "I love it. I'd go for a riding lesson every day if I could," she says. Mary-Kate has even competed in horse shows - and has the ribbons and trophiesto prove it!
While Mary-Kate is riding, Ashley keeps busy with dance class, tennis, and, most recently, golf. Her love of dance is something she inherited from her mother. Together the girls go to yoga class, which is great mental and physical exercise.
Both girls have very close friends whom they see all the time. They each have their own special friends, of course, but they also have good friends in common. When they were younger, Mary-Kate and Ashley and their friends would go Rollerblading, to Disneyland, or to a nearby amusement park called Knott's Berry Farm. "I remember how happy I was when we were finally tall enough to get on all the rides," says Ashley "We'd ride every roller coaster there was!"
Once the girls took some of their friends to an amusement park to film a roller coaster scene for their video, You're Invited to Mary-Kate & Ashley's Birthday Party. To get the scene, the whole group had to ride the roller coaster eight times in a row! "We all got so dizzy we could hardly stand," Ashley remembers.
Now that they're older, Mary-Kate and Ashley don't ride roller coasters much. They're too busy riding in their cars! Each received a brand-new car for her sixteenth birthday ...
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Mary-Kate & Ashleyby Olsen, Mary-Kate &. Ashley Excerpted by permission.
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