Parents Gone Wild Weekend

Hello Bravo blog readers and people who love to comment! I appreciate your love and support! However, there are a few of you who are concerned with where my loyalty and friendship stand with Teresa. Don't be concerned! WE ARE GOOD! Although I am sure she will appreciate you're concern. 

Teresa of ALL people should understand the position I am in, because Teresa was in the exact same position at one point, between my sister-in-law and me. Teresa was friends with my sister-in-law many years before Teresa and I became friends through the introduction of my sister-in-law. (Much like how I was introduced to Melissa through Teresa). We all would hang out together. (Much like how my family now hangs out with Teresa and HER family). When my sister-in-law and I were feuding, Teresa chose not to take a side. She remained friends with both of us, because she never wanted to get in the middle of a family feud. She knows that families usually make up in the end. She listened as a friend to both of us and gave us her opinions and advice. I respected her for that. I would never have expected her to choose one side over the other. I don't believe my sister-in-law expected her to choose either. She was there for the both of us. If Teresa had chosen a side and decided to only be loyal to her first, long time friend (my sister-in-law), it would have only added more fuel to the fire, and it would have made it a lot harder for all involved to make up. Things would have been a lot more awkward between us all in the end. I appreciated Teresa's friendship. Would you call that playing both sides or trying to diffuse a bad situation? Would you say that her intentions were good or bad? 

Family business should be kept family business. If Teresa asks for my advice or opinion, I will always give her an honest answer, because I love her and I want to help her.  If there are times that I don't agree with her reasoning, or if I feel like she's made a bad choice, I will tell her, but it does not mean that I am not her friend or that I am choosing one side over another. As a friend I will do my best to help her resolve a problem or situation that I know is hurting her. I have on many occasions listened and sympathized with Teresa on how she felt she was being treated by others. My heart felt for her. I always say that you can't control what another person is doing or saying, but you can control yourself and how you choose to react or view a situation. I try to get my friend to look at herself and her actions and then try to get her to look at the other person's point of view for a better understanding of how that situation got to a bad place. I will give her the best advice I can to resolve her problems. I do it out of love. I expect the same from my friend. I value their opinion whether or not they agree with me. As much as I think I already know, there is always room to learn more. I like to keep an open mind. 

I am the friend you can call on day or night or even in the middle of the night, and I will be there for you. I will listen. I will advise you. I enjoy helping others. I try my best not to take sides. I realize there are two sides to every story. Maybe even three. Everybody's feelings should be validated. Everybody feels justified. Sometimes feuds start by miscommunications or from different perspectives on the same situation. Who am I to judge? I would like to think that my friends have an understanding of who I am and love me for being me and wouldn't try to make me feel uncomfortable by pressuring me to take a side. That's not who I am. Especially when it comes to family. All families fight, all families have issues, all families (whether it takes days, months or even years) will more than likely make peace eventually. (At least they should try.) 

Yay for Teresa and Melissa giving their relationship another shot despite their differences! Let's see where it goes from here. You have to start somewhere. Baby steps, girls! Baby steps are still a step in a positive direction. Fake it until you make it!

The Catskills trip was HILARIOUS! Best time I had all season! I wish you could have seen all of it. There were so many laughs you missed out on. I guess we can't show you everything in an hour. It was comedy. Parents gone wild weekend! We hardly ever get away from our kids. In fact that weekend was the longest time we have ever left our kids. I think parents deserve that once in a great while. I love my kids more than anything, but after that I feel like I could do it again! Yahoo!

Two things I have to clear up. First, there was a good time lapse between drinking and riding quads so not to worry. Second, the face I made when I was supposedly drinking Joe's wine was actually me sampling the sulfur water that they had in that house that stunk like rotten eggs. I bathed with bottled water and baby wipes while I was there, because I couldn't handle the smell of the water. I didn't care how good I was told it was for my skin. I like to smell pretty.

We really appreciated the warm welcome and hospitality of Teresa and her family. They opened up and shared their house and cooked food for all of us while we were there. We can't thank them enough. We had a great time! XOXO! I must also thank Duma, Teresa and Joe's brother-in-law, for advising me on how to make that delicious winning calzone! That man knows his pizza! I mentioned him in my acceptance speech, but you didn't get to hear that. Teresa also made a very fabulicious pizza! Let's call it a tie before Teresa ends up bashing me in her next cookbook by saying how you could put nutella on a sock and it would taste better than a pizza with any other toppings. (Which might actually be true… I LOVE Nutella.) Teresa won the dinner pizza and I won the dessert pizza.

Speaking of dessert... Kathy is really talented at making them. Whatever decision she makes as far as a career that has anything to do with baking, I'm sure it will be successful. Looks like your husband will support you as well. Best of luck to you!

Antonia Gorga, you are so adorable! Congratulations on doing so well on your dance. I can tell how proud your family is of you. You're a lucky girl.

I also have to say how sweet it was to see Joey with his Mother. He was beaming. You can tell he really loves his mother. Don't worry, Joey, she loves you too. She loves both her kids. That much is obvious.

Caroline just continues to crack me up. Isn't she funny? I just love her! I love that you are seeing more sides of her personality this season.