True Friends

Hi everyone!

So excited to be back for Season 6! I have to start off by saying thank you to all our loyal and amazing fans! Real Housewives of Orange County seems to continue to be a favorite, and I am very grateful for the support of everyone as we share our very personal lives through TV. I had a fun season filming, and I think this season is going to be a very entertaining and interesting season to watch!

I loved all the individual footage of each of us ladies and what we personally have going on in our lives. Alexis with her kids was hilarious, I love how her little girl lost all her “accessories privileges.” We see Tamra being a “free bitch,” and Vicki and Don’s usual run around (Did you notice the dog chasing its own tail?). Too funny! You also see me continuing to build my mini empire if you will.

I launched my make-up line last season, and this season you continue to see me grow the “Gretchen Christine” brand. For me the launch of the Gretchen Christine Collection was very exciting! I started with handbags, but plan on expanding it to all the things a girl can find in her closet; from shoes, to hats, to clothes, casual wear and accessories!

Hosting has been a great experience for me these past few years! I really love hosting, and I hope to continue in this space long after our show is over. I have been asked to host a lot of events, shows, and had a lot of great opportunities lately, but I really wanted to get some extra training when it came to going on a home shopping network with my line. I went on Shop NBC for the first time this past July! I was so nervous, but Marki is a great coach. She helped calm my nerves and made me confident for my first one hour live appearance (you can see me on-air at http://www.gretchenchristine.com/blog.php?entry_id=234). Going to Marki Costello has really help build my career as a host, and I look forward to many more opportunities within this space. Shop NBC was very successful and as a first time brand on the network we sold 83% through! I was so happy to see all my hard work for the past year paying off!

And just to set the record straight, I did not just slap my Gretchen Christine logo on some bags as Vicki so harshly tried to tear my business down… again. I created, designed, and personally picked the leather and all the details for all my bags. It took me over eight months to create my pearlized leather collection. I worked with the head designer of my manufacturer and created the bags from scratch based off my own personally drawings of what I wanted. I'm not the best artist in the world, but I definitely know how I wanted the bags to look and feel! If Vicki thinks she could start a handbag line as if it is so easy, I challenge her to go ahead and try. Honestly I don’t care if Vicki isn’t buying one of my Gretchen Christine handbags, because I didn’t make it for her! I made it for all my fans and customers that love the Gretchen Christine brand and that continue to request more designs and products from me. I love giving my fans and customers what they ask for!

I have gotten nothing but great reviews and we had such great success on Shop NBC that we went back into production of some of the most popular styles to sell on my website www.gretchenchristine.com. We have now sold almost all of them out again with only a few styles left. You might have also seen Kristin Cavallari in the weekly’s rocking one of my clutches on the red carpet for the finale of the Hills! That was very exciting for me and my brand Gretchen Christine!

This is now the second business venture that Vicki has said something negative about. I wonder why she continues to talk badly about my businesses? I only wish her well with her business ventures. She said anyone can just slap their name on a handbag, which is far from the truth, but last I checked anyone can just go online and get their license to be an insurance agent? Isn’t that what Vicki does?

Now let’s get to the juicy footage regarding Tamra's party. As you can see, Tamra calling me and asking me to come to her party really took me off-guard. Her and I had not talked in months, and I was obviously not expecting her call. However the conversation between us was very authentic and funny, because you see my true reaction to her all of sudden being nice and wanting to be friendly with me. I sincerely did not believe she had turned over a new leaf, because of the many times this had happened between us before. I was honest and told her the verdict was still out if I wanted to come or not before we hung up.

After talking to Alexis, she convinced me to once again give her the benefit of the doubt that Tamra had turned that new leaf. I decided that if Tamra came up to me and apologized for all the false accusations and for all the crap that she had said, I would forgive and move on. Unfortunately that never happened, and I don’t think Tamra ever intended to do that at her party. I think she was just hoping it was so long ago that I would forget all about it and just be over it.

Now remember, a lot of my reactions to situations this year are due to the fact that I never really realized how vulnerable and fragile I had become during the time Jeff was sick. This past year I have been able to really explore my emotions through grievance counseling for the devastating loss I suffered. I finally realized that the way I was treated by some of the women on this show was beyond devastating to me and not right. I knew I was stronger emotionally and mentally this year, and I was not going to take any crap from anyone.

I think this is why you see me so direct in this first episode. I have been encouraged by so many people to really give the women a piece of my mind, but I continued to hold back and just take the heat because I wasn’t strong enough at the time. Back then I just wanted to fit in and be liked by the group, so I allowed the women to be hard on me probably more than I should have. I was already losing so much in my life watching Jeff disintegrate right in front of me, and through grievance counseling I realized that I was holding onto anything in my life at the time, including friendships, even if it was poisonous for me.

Once I realized that some of the women really had no value in my life, and that the way they treated me during the toughest time in my life was just so vile and ugly, I realized I had no reason to continue to try and be the nice guy. The hardest part for me these past few years watching myself on TV is seeing how fragile I had become. I have always been a strong woman, but when Jeff got sick it changed me. I think when you watch someone lose their life right before your eyes you become numb to a lot of things.

I have a lot of healing to still do, and I continue to grow everyday and explore new emotions, but the emotions you see with Tamra and I in the first episode have been a long time coming. I state it very clearly in my interview when I say, "Tamra said some pretty harsh and horrible things about who I was as a person, and I think I am owed an apology." All I have ever wanted from Tamra was a sincere apology for the false accusations and crude things she said about my relationship with Jeff. She never met Jeff and never knew who Jeff and I were to each other. She just automatically assumed I was a gold-digger and said that Jeff was paying me to take care of him, which was not true. I can’t tell you how many days I think if only Jeff was still alive, he would be able to set all the women straight.

Now to the evil eye comment... I have had so many digs and many things said about me from the women on this show, so when I made a joke about the evil eye hat, I didn’t think it would affect the consistently smack talking Tamra. I was just finally giving the women a taste of their own medicine. Obviously these women can dish it out (for two years) but can't take it when I finally fire something back.

Unfortunately, Tamra has been an evil spirit in my life. She made me believe she was a friend all the while talking tons of crap behind my back and saying some pretty detrimental things about my character. It's not just something you get over or move past. It has affected my life a lot, more than most people, especially Tamra, will ever know. I continue to deal with the aftermath of those accusations every single day still.

I went into that party knowing that I wasn't going to take crap and that I was going to stand up for myself. I was going to wear my heart on my sleeve and just be honest about the way I still felt. I said it in the car, "I was tired of killing people with kindness, and I think I just wanted to be a bitch this time." Well that summed it up pretty well. When Tamra came out and asked me If I was calling her an evil bitch inside, I didn't want to just sweep it under the carpet one more time and try and make nice. So I answered her honestly.

I wasn't drinking any more than anyone else there. Alcohol or not, I would have said the same things. When Tamara's friend CJ said, "Aren't you guys just over this?" I was laughing thinking how everyone just thinks this is something you just get over.

I know this has been a long feud between us, and I sincerely hope one day I won't hold the animosity I do towards her for her false statements, but unfortunately we are on an international TV show, in the press and media, and what she accused me of has made people question who I am. I wish it hadn’t affected me, but it did on many levels.

So until Tamra sincerely apologizes for making statements about my relationship with Jeff, when she didn’t know the first thing about our relationship, then I am not going to just get over it. I stand by what I said to her, I wasn’t trying to be a bitch, I was just finally being honest with her and not allowing her to blame her actions on being in a bad place. Simon or not, Tamra is her own woman and makes her own choices. She wasn’t forced to say the things she did, she choose to make those statements and accusations. Even Tamra herself in this first episode admitted that she knows she treated people, including Vicki, poorly because of what she was dealing with in her own life… isn’t that called projecting what you were actually doing or going through onto someone else?

In reality, I actually have a great time with Tamra, always did, but she has hurt me so many times, and it is hard to trust her or her intentions. I know Tamra keeps saying she's over it, but she hasn’t had to live my hell for the past few years.

I always like to give people the benefit of the doubt, but I finally have realized that I can’t continue to do that because I only end up hurt. Maybe one day it will change between her and I, but that will take a lot of repairing. Tamra and I just recently talked while in New York doing press, and she seems ready to really sit down and understand why I am having such a hard time just moving on from this situation. I hope she really hears me out and understands how her accusations have continued to affect me every single day. Maybe she is in a softer, better place and is willing to hear it now. I sure hope so. I think she might be surprised about the things I bring to light for her. Ultimately, I am hopeful that she is happy and in a better place. I have only wished that for her from day one.

Now to Alexis and I! Alexis and I are good friends, and our little argument was so silly and we have gotten completely past that since then. Of course I was hurt she would call me a princess, because out of everyone in that group she knows the most that I am certainly not a princess. I have worked hard to have everything I have, and I have not had anything handed to me despite what people think. Alexis has seen me work my butt off these past few years to keep a roof over my head and build my business. The end result is that I know her true intentions, and once we talked she realized why it hurt my feelings and it was over! That is what true friends do. They might argue or hurt each others' feelings, but then they talk it out and say I’m sorry and move on. I’m grateful that her and I have that kind of friendship.

Well that’s about it for this episode! Be sure to check out my website www.gretchenchristine.com to check out my daily blogs, join my “Beauty Community” for my weekly Beauty tip, my fitness and health sections or shop my “Gretchen Christine” site for all the exciting products and ventures I have going! Don’t forget my “Ask Gretchen” section where you can talk to me about anything or ask me any questions you might have! You can also stay connected by following me on Twitter @gretchenrossi or join my fan page www.facebook.com/gretchenrossi to interact and stay in touch with me!

Thanks again for all your support and love! Can’t wait for next week’s episode and a great season!

Xoxo

Gretchen Christine