Lisa's Bridesmaid Ultimatum

I was thrilled to go to LA to plan my wedding and also see my mom and my six rescue dogs, which I missed deeply. Traveling with Lisa and Lea definitely made the flight anything but dull. I was excited to introduce the girls to my LA life and why I love it so much there. Of course when we got to my home the girls were greeted with my six rescue dogs and some from my own animal rescue with my rescue partner Gabriela Gutierrez. Welcome to the KRUPA ZOO LOL! Make sure to check out all the animals that are available under our rescue at www.angelsforanimalrescue.org.

Lisa was staying with me and I was happy to have her stay in order for her to get to know my mom, but I won’t lie, I was scared she was going to be high maintenance and complain about her room (I remember that from our trip to Bimini), so I asked my mom to make sure to go to the store before we arrive to buy the most comfortable pillow bedding and bathroom towels and also buy new accessories for the bathroom to make sure Lisa would be comfortable.

It was fun having Lisa over and having my mom as one of the girls. My mom is my best friend, and sometimes I feel like I am the mom in the relationship lately LOL! My mom and I emigrated from Poland when I was 5 years old. Mom wanted to move in order to give her kids a better life, plus she also missed her mom and sister, who lived in Chicago. She left my dad behind, but he came to America two years later. My mom hustled to make sure Marta and I always had food on the table, and she always had such a positive attitude.

We never felt like we had less than other kids, and she always gave us tons of love to reciprocate for what we didn't have. We shopped at thrift stores, and sometimes I wore clothes that were too big on me because they were second hand. I didn't really have many options in my closet, maybe one or two pairs of shoes. Kids made fun of me at school. I was not only bullied because I was poor, but also because I was polish and blonde so kids loved to poke fun at me, but that made me stronger and a fighter. I never felt we were poor, because we were rich in our hearts. We didn't have a car so we had to take the bus or walk for groceries.

Since I was 6 years older than Marta, I helped raise her while my mom worked 7 days a week/12-15 hour nights in a factory making plastic cups for the fast food chains, but never did I see my mom sad. As she said, we could have it worse and at least we are healthy. Since I helped raise Marta, I grew up fast and with thick skin. I have seen how much my mom and dad struggled to pay the bills, especially because they didn't speak the language. My mom was a nurse in Poland, but since she came to America, she had to work in factories to make a living. My dad was a post graduate electric engineer in Poland, but when he moved to America he also had to work in factories and clean offices until he learned the language and got a better job in his field. Seeing my mom work so hard and always having a smile on her face made me very ambitious, and I wanted to make her proud one day. That is why I won’t let anyone stand in my way and put me down, because life is hard as it is and you don't need people that don't wish you well.

That is why I gave Lisa an ultimatum. All the friends that I have in my life are loyal, and I can count on them in any situation. Why should I choose Lisa as a bridesmaid when I have friends that have been in my life for 17 years that are like my family? Why should I make room for Lisa and not include one of my true, loving friends that have been with me through the hardest times in my life and make them a bridesmaid? I think I had every right to question Lisa’s loyalty as a friend, because she is friends with someone that not only physically assaulted me, but someone that has called me an escort in the press and tried to hurt my reputation and hurt me intentionally. How can I trust someone that is friends with a person that’s been so vindictive and malicious? It makes me question what kind of friends Lisa has. And it makes me question our friendship if she can be friends with people like that. I am not here to tell Lisa who to be friends with, but Lisa is the one that keeps dropping the hints she wants to be a bridesmaid at my wedding… Is it that she really wants to be a bridesmaid because she cares about me, or because she wants to be the double agent that gets to be a bridesmaid in two weddings? I take my wedding very seriously, since it’s my first wedding and it’s my special day. I want only true, loving friends there with good energy, not people that just want to be in a wedding. When I get married, I will be proud to be married and tell the whole world I am married, not hide my marriage. I will embrace it. In my mind, I didn't think I was asking for too much to have Lisa choose to prove her friendship to me.

When we all were at Koi having dinner, my mom had no clue that we were speaking about THAT Adriana, so when I came home that evening I had a talk with her and she apologized for butting in. Knowing her, the conversation at Koi would have gone in a different direction, because she was very hurt about the cruel things Adriana said about me to the press. But my mom never met Adriana and had no idea that was the woman Lisa and I were having an argument about. But since my mom is a forgiver, and even though she made a mistake at dinner, it had me thinking about the whole situation… Can’t believe we are mid-season! Time flies!

Don't forget to see the beautiful animals that need homes and donations at www.angelsforanimalrescue.org and follow me on Twitter and Instagram @joannakrupa.

God Bless,

Joanna