Choke-Holds and All

Happy New Year! I hope you enjoyed spending the holidays with us, but just as in real time, by New Year's Eve I'm over them and ready to move on!

We got to see a little more of Jacqueline's parents this episode. I loved the scene with Jerry and Ashley, he supports Jacqueline in her efforts to motivate Ashley and isn't afraid to tell it like it is. Speaking of Ashley, can you believe the talent that kid has? Remember, this is raw, natural talent. Can you imagine how good she'd be if she had some formal training? I say we all put our rally caps on and try to convince her to work it, work it, work it!

Lauren asked Ashley to design T-shirts for her grand opening party as a way to show support and belief in her abilities. They had a meeting where they discussed concept and design options for the shirts, and they both seemed pretty excited to get the project underway. Needless to say when Ashley presented Lauren with her sketches Lauren was disappointed, because she knows what Ashley is capable of and she called her out on it. The good news is Ashley went back to the drawing board. I've got my rally cap on again; let's see what Ashley comes up with…

I was happy to see the Gorga and Giudice kids get together for a play date. Say what you want, these kids love each other, choke-holds and all. It's sad to think their relationship may suffer as a result of this feud.

I made the decision to invite the Wakiles to The Brownstone New Year's Eve party, and I honestly have no regrets. I'm so tired of the nonsense; they're good people and they've never given me one single reason to think otherwise. Kathy and I got off to a rocky start and I felt badly about it. This was my way of extending an olive branch. Like I said; I'm not going to get on the hate train.

We managed to ring in 2011 with minimal drama, and for that I say thank you, Jesus! Although we're more than halfway through the year, I wish each and every one of you a year filled with good health, peace, and happiness.