Bush twins discuss family, work

Jenna, Barbara stop in Houston for luncheon

HOUSTON – They call each other "Sissy," but the Bush twins are as unique as their faces.

The daughters of George W. and Laura Bush, Jenna resembles her presidential father; Barbara, on the other hand, looks like her mother.

Their personalities differ, too. Jenna is a spitfire while Barbara is more demure as they discuss their famous family.

"Our parents say they've moved back to the promised land, which is Texas. So, you know, they're happy to be back home and they're doing really well," said Jenna. "And it's amazing that it's almost another election, and they've just adjusted back so fast. And our grandparents..."

Barbara finishes Jenna's thought.

"[And our grandparents] are doing great. It's good to see them today. We were just with them for the holidays, and they're doing great," Barbara.

The girls traded in their longhorns for the Big Apple years ago. Jenna works as a correspondent for the Today Show. Her job has taken a few twists and turns.

"I was hired for education and kind of more serious stories," said Jenna.

She said her role later changed.

"I said in the beginning, 'No entertainment,' and the next week, you know, I have a show on Taylor Swift, like, it's just changed and I've become more comfortable in the role," said Jenna.

"I like doing serious stories as well, probably even more, but it's fun to write," she added.

Barbara is busy trying to rewrite history with global outreach.

"A few years ago, I started a non-profit with some friends I met through work, focused on global health, and what we're trying to do is, trying to mobilize people in our age group and generation to work in the field of global health and use the skills they have to make change in communities that people have an opportunity to have better health and better health outcomes in their life," she said.

"She's doing great work. She's working all the time to make our world a better place. Not everybody can say that," added Jenna.

When asked about their interest in politics, they shrugged it off.

"I think ironically neither one of us are interested at all in traditional, American politics, ironically, or maybe not ironically," Jenna said with a laugh.

Years of intense media scrutiny could be a factor. Who can forget Jenna's tongue-in-check limo photo?

"When I stuck my tongue out? Yeah, that was great! What's wrong with that? I loved that. I'll do it again," she said, sticking her tongue out.

"That was trying to make my dad laugh, and he said, 'You're going to get in the newspapers,' and I said it was nothing that got totally blown out of proportion."

Keeping things in proportion was the focus of the luncheon that brought both of them to Houston. "Conversations of the Heart" raised awareness for heart disease.

"We grew up being conscientious about being active and what we ate because our parents were and were interested in their own health," said Barbara.

"We weren't a fast food family," said Jenna. "I mean, we want things that are healthy. That's what we like."

Of course, Houston always has its guilty pleasures. The two talked about going to Molina's and El Tiempo, two of their family's favorites Mexican restaurants.

They left the luncheon audience with a good taste in their mouths, full of family stories.

"Some laughs," said Jenna.

"Yeah, some laughs, some good stories," added Barbara.