Meeting Moo Shoo

Happy Sunday and Happy Father's Day to all the daddies out there, hope it was a good one!

There's so much to talk about this week -- we went from a runaway Ferrari to a pig on a lawn and everything in-between. Leave it to Jersey to keep it interesting, right?

It was sad to see the tug of war continue amongst everyone while Mr. Gorga was in the hospital. We watched Kathy struggle with her emotions regarding her uncle’s hospitalization and the fear of losing him before they could reconcile. Kathy is a good person and I know she hurts for not only herself, but her mom and her sister Rosie as well. I loved that Victoria and Joseph went to visit, they're good kids with kind hearts.

The whole hospital visit thing was nuts. Bottom line is this, everybody went and paid their respects. Joe Gorga was sick and unable to visit his dad, Melissa went with the kids, and Kathy and Rich sent Joe and Victoria in their place. Let's all appreciate the fact that Mr. Gorga came out of the hospital knowing that his family was there to support him regardless of the date and time of arrival. Don't sweat the small stuff. Joe and Gia's talk was nice to see. I'm all for kids connecting with their parents, and although it was TMI on Gia's part, the fact that she was comfortable enough to discuss that with her dad is a good thing. As a side note, I always thought "grill" was slang for teeth. See, you learn something new every day.

How beautiful is our little man Nicholas? I have a feeling he's going to be stealing the show this season, and nothing would make me happier. Autism is such a mysterious condition and having the platform to talk about it and share information will only increase the chances of recovering those who are on the spectrum. I appreciate Bravo for allowing Chris and Jac to tell Nick's story. The Hyperbaric Chamber has been a tremendous help for Nick, and I know Chris and Jacqueline are thrilled to have met Samir Patel from oxyhealth.com. At the suggestion of Samir, they decided to try the chamber and as you can see, our little man Nick loved it. Many of you have reached out telling us their stories regarding family members and friends that are on the spectrum, keep on doing what you're doing! Conversation and communication are key to finding new techniques for treatment as well as emotional support and understanding from those who walk that same road. As I said tonight, Jacqueline has proven herself to be a warrior in her fight to recover Nick, and she is determined to share her story and give others the hope that so many of you have given her and Chris. Go to Jacqueline's blog, she has more info on the chamber if you are interested. I also did a podcast a few months back with Jac and Samir from Oxyhealth explaining the benefits of the chamber and Samir and his associate shared some amazing stories of success and healing. You can listen to it for free on iTunes or fakemustache.com -- look for "Let Me Tell You Something" with Caroline Manzo.

OK, going to switch subjects now. If you remember, Joe and Melissa came to my Hoboken apartment, and while they were there they shared that they were still having issues with Teresa. I felt so bad for Joe that night. He seemed sad, angry, and hopeless. I have been in his shoes and I know exactly how he feels, and because of that I asked if he would meet with me for coffee. I wanted to give him a pep talk, there was absolutely no hidden agenda on my part at all. Hearing Melissa say that she was confused as to why I secretly met with Joe and that I should stay out of it was hurtful. The conversation I had with Joe was about his relationship with his sister and his parents. I didn't want to drag Melissa into another conversation out of respect to her feelings, knowing that she doesn't like to be put in the middle of their issues. I'm sorry she never told me this, I would have explained myself to her and listened to her concerns.Joe asked me to go speak to Teresa for him, and I did as he asked. When I sat down with Teresa I spoke from my heart with no "team" shirt on at all. Throughout the next few episodes I have to deliver a few messages to family members and friends. First I had to tell Joe what Teresa's response was to his request, then I had to tell everyone else where they fit in the healing process. It wasn't fun, and as I watch it now, it makes me nauseous. I did what I did and said what I said, and I have no regrets. Keep watching, it gets interesting.

So, what did you think of Moo Shoo? Can you imagine my surprise when I pulled up to the house and saw a giant snaggle-tooth pig walking around? Christopher was right when he said it's almost getting to be a common occurrence around here. Never a dull moment at the Manzos, that's for sure. Moo Shoo lived here for a few days and was treated like a king. Moo Shoo's just one in the line of many animals that have come and gone since Fran has been living with us, and although it may seem excessive, Al and I don't really mind. We witnessed Frannie suffer through an awful time in her life, and I believe whole heartedly that her love and dedication to animal rescue was a key factor in her finding the strength to walk away from a negative situation. It's been great to watch Fran gain her confidence and self-respect back. Frannie understands that it's a home and not a shelter, so our little friends have a pretty fast turn around time between fostering at our house and finding a forever home through adoption. As I said in last week’s blog, Fran is involved in numerous animal rescue organizations and sanctuaries. Follow her on twitter @frannielaurita.

Well, that's it for now. As always, thank you so much for watching. I really appreciate it!

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