Melissa writes:
"I can’t believe the season is already over! It had some highs and lows but was the most genuine for me and our family.
I’m proud that you got to see my journey with getting Envy off the ground. I was a young mother and never got to explore the working world. I’ve stumbled a lot along the way, but really found something I’m passionate about that allows me to feel fulfilled and doesn’t take me away from my first priority -- my family.
And you finally got to see Envy’s first fashion show, which was a huge success. I am SOO happy with how it turned out and that Joe was proud of me! People have been messaging me about how great the show was, and I just want to say your support has meant so much to us! The team at Envy truly worked their asses off to put on this amazing event for a sold-out crowd. Thank you to everyone who attended and helped us raise money for the Deborah Hospital Foundation. We can’t wait to do it again next year. Come visit us at the boutique in Montclair or online at EnvybyMG.com.
I have been a part of the Housewives family for over five years now. I have made my peace and take the good and the bad that comes with being on this show. This season I definitely found my voice, although I’m not sure that voice was heard much at the reunion.
It’s hard for me to sit there with the lies, yelling and fake tears that some of the ladies bring. I think my face says it all. I look completely disgusted, and I am.
What I wanted to say, but wasn’t given the opportunity, is that Jacqueline is someone who needs a ridiculous amount of control. And when she doesn’t have it, she either gets crazy or runs away and then goes off the grid to plan and scheme. Just look back at every conflict she’s ever had on the show.
She immediately befriends everyone that comes on our show (to get intel), and she barks orders at us like she's the boss. At the reunion, she kept cutting me off because she knew that I would call her on her bullsh--. I very rarely lose my cool, and I come with facts, not lies. That scares her.
The reunion was so frustrating especially because some of us didn’t take a “magic pill” to make us behave. I know exactly how Teresa felt sitting across from Jacqueline after all these months. She clearly had a hard time biting her tongue that day, which made it even harder for me to get a word in. I didn’t agree with her approach or everything she said, but I get it and let’s be honest, Teresa has never been one to be “zen” at a reunion.
All season long, Jacqueline has talked out of both sides of her mouth. What she can’t manufacture or suppress, though, are her insecurities, paranoia and need for control. It’s always been there, but the Gorga/Giudice family drama overshadowed it. It didn’t become an issue for her until Teresa and I agreed to put the past in the past. When that happened, Jacqueline lost her sense of power, became vulnerable and started grasping at very short, almost non-existent straws.
Jacqueline can no longer play us against each other and the moment she realized that, she started claiming that I became the problem, that I turned on her and that I wasn’t relevant or important. If I’m not important or relevant, why did she dedicate an entire blog to me? She’s desperately trying to make that true and the irony is that her attempts at doing that show everyone just how fake and disingenuous her friendship with me was. I was no longer of use to her, so she tried to find reasons to argue with me. At Kathy and Richie’s house she immediately came at me; on the bus ride to Vermont and then at dinner; ordering me to leave the room before I even got to the table at Siggy’s lunch. Every time I was around, her eyes were like daggers at me.
The sad part is that I truly thought she was my friend and confided in her. To this day, I still can't figure out what I've done to her other than not immediately answer her question in Vermont while she was commanding me to, with her finger in my face. I now see her for who she is and I am not interested in playing her games.
At this point in my life, if a friendship does not work, it’s time to let it go. I don’t need friends that are trying to “win.” I also don't just sit at home and talk about other people and Housewives all day -- that's Jacqueline’s thing.
Over the years, I think people have mistaken my kindness for weakness. Trust me, I’m nobody’s fool and definitely not anyone’s puppet. I may not be the loudest voice and sometimes having self-control doesn’t help when you are on this show, but I see the bigger picture beyond RHONJ and that’s what guides me.
I guess it’s true when people say, friends come and go, but family is forever.
Tune in for part two of the reunion."
What do you think about Melissa’s blog?
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