Lou, Friendship, and the Environment

This season has come and passed like a whirlwind for our family. As you can imagine, the passing of Megan and Lindsey's father has been highly traumatic for us on so many levels from emotional, to yes, financial. Much of Bravo's coverage took place nearly right after Lou's death in April. We were all so shell-shocked that frankly it is hard to remember exactly what was said or done on camera in the weeks afterwards. I am sure there are things we may regret a little, but that is reality, and we are still trying to pick up the pieces.

In regards to Lou's unexpected passing, it is now more important than ever for us to develop our future plans in life and the girls and I have taken positive steps to move forward with the new company we have formed, called Veriya, in which I have resurrected some of my past skills as a marketer and co-founder of the former L.L. Knickerbocker company.

The word "Veriya" is an alternative spelling to the word "viriya" or "virya", which as a Sanskrit word meaning energy, effort, and vigor. It reminded me of the power of the five elements and forces of nature, and the goal to stand with courage and strength of character in the midst of all types of storms (and fires and floods for that matter!).

Working with the team of talented individuals such as my business partner, producer Jenapher Forline, our goal is to bring the world a modern web-based "REAL" Orange County, that presents coverage of the people who really live and work in Orange County (yes, outside the gates also), as well as the sites, attitudes and unique culture.

My son's father, Duff, who I am sure everyone remembers from Season Two, is writing a column for us, and the first issue of our online magazine (veriya.com) has been dedicated to Lou Knickerbocker, in remembrance of his life. It features many sentiments from his friends and family, including a letter from Marie Osmond and many video interviews taken by our friend, author/producer Dominique Mainon, who captured a myriad of emotional eulogies and memories of "the Man with the Midas Touch".

During this season on Bravo, you will likely also see Lindsey in her promotional photo shoot for the Java Jean Bar and various career endeavors from all of us. We will be moving back into our house finally after four long years. Right now there are no men in our lives, and it's just us girls hanging out, trying to have fun and simply be a family again. It has been way too long since we have been able to do this.

I am mainly focused on helping my girls through the loss of their father. Before I had been so busy with my life hanging on by a thread at times, but I am now able to give them the time and energy they need and I am glad I have this chance with them.

This year has been kind of surreal. I hear from friends and family that they see our faces on billboards and buses everywhere — from Garden Grove to New York. They basically laugh at me. I don't think Megan and Lindsey particularly appreciate the large game board background on the advertisements, because it seems to trivialize their situation. But at the same time, they have their father's blood in them and they know not to let what others think dictate their lives and happiness. They have developed a certain veneer to get through all of this.

We don't have any particular ritual for watching the show. I try to watch it before anyone I know watches since we don't know what is going to air. But now that the show is getting so popular, friends call me to remind me that it's on. Funny, because obviously I know I am on the show.

My friends are silly. Basically I have fun watching the show myself because I get to see what my kids said about me and what they were up to while I am not around. It is a bit like a built-in babysitter. Even through my girls are now adults, I still mother them or try too. For Halloween this year, Lindsey made both our costumes. She was a white angel and I was a pirate girl. Lindsey loves making clothes so that was interesting, though my outfit was a bit too short. Hopefully, you will see Lindsey's pictures from the LA Charity Halloween Party we attended, which was a great, positive experience for us.

The environment has been a huge theme in media lately. For our family, this really isn't new, because one of the legacies of Louis Knickerbocker has always been in pursuing alternative forms of energy and other "green" goals.

The company for which he served as CEO, RG Global, has long been seeking and manufacturing unique, patented environmentally-friendly products worldwide, from machines that produce water from the humidity in the air, to providing solutions to waste water contamination from oil and gas production. I can't even begin to explain the extent of their work in that area, but more info can be found at www.rgglife.com. People often ask, "What is the most important thing I can do for the environment?" Well, I think there is a simple answer. First of all, just CARE. And then ACT. How you might take action is an individual decision, whether it is as simple as just throwing your cans in the recycle bin, or as ambitious as starting or supporting a "green" company that addresses world concerns in an environmentally friendly manner. There is really no excuse for inactivity in this area. We all must be responsible on some level.