Weddingbee Blog

I’ve been holding off on posting on the Secret Life series ’cause I just wasn’t sure how much dirt I wanted to spill. Who am I kidding? I’m pretty boring, but here goes…

#1

Just a couple of months before meeting King Hippo (back in 2007), I was almost selected to be on Season 10 of The Bachelor. That season was referred to as “Officer and a Gentleman,” as it starred naval officer Andy Baldwin.

Andy Baldwin from “The Bachelor”

In addition to having a “real” day job, I used to teach dance classes in the evenings, and one of my students’ moms mentioned that they had seen a commercial saying they were looking for bachelorettes and she thought I should apply.

Now, I’ve mentioned my obsession with reality television shows and I figured it would totally be fun to try it, not to mention that I have always had a secret desire to be famous. There was absolutely no part of me that thought I would make it through several rounds of auditions, but before I knew it, I was being flown to Los Angeles to meet with producers, do on-camera interviews, have my blood drawn for health tests and my photo taken in a bikini. Seriously. The whole experience was really fun (minus the photo in the bikini!) and I was a little disappointed at the time that I didn’t get picked. (I blame the bikini photo. Those bachelorette chicks are really skinny!) But, when I saw the first episode I was 100% happy that I wasn’t on the show. Andy is totally NOT my type. He kind of grossed me out to be honest. And…I ended up meeting King Hippo at work during the time I would have been on a leave of absence for filming. Strange how life works, right?

#2

I completed my first (and only) marathon in 2001. I absolutely hated running then and I still hate it now, but it was one of those things that I wanted to check off a list of things to accomplish. And I did. And I will probably never do it again.

Hippo after crossing the finish line

I ran the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training endurance training program. The race was the month following September 11, and the patriotism along the course was truly amazing. The course went right by the Pentagon (which literally had a hole in it), and I remember construction workers waving American flags from the top of the building as we ran by. It was such a surreal moment, but one I will never forget.

#3

Before moving to New York, dance was a huge part of my life. Not only did I dance professionally for a couple of sports teams in Dallas, but I also performed with a semi-professional contemporary dance company in addition to teaching dance and doing choreography for dance competitions and high school dance teams.

Hippo performing on stage

Even though there are so many opportunities to dance in New York, I work such ridiculous hours that I haven’t been able to find a way to fit it in. And now that it’s been a couple of years, my flexibility has gone to total crap. And frankly, my body doesn’t do the same things at 34 that it did at 24…sadly.

#4

King Hippo and I share our bed with this 70-pound dude. It’s really out of control.

Our German Shorthaired Pointer, Deacon

He likes to sleep right in the middle of the two of us and he likes to stretch out, which means that one of us usually has two or four paws in the back or in the face. Deacon does have his own dog bed on the floor, but even if he starts the night out on it, he always sneaks up on the bed in the middle of the night and plants himself right in the middle of it. He’s a much better cuddler than King Hippo, who has a tendency to get too hot, so I don’t mind sharing the space. But seriously…he’s 70 pounds. It’s a bit much.

OK, that’s all I got. Was it what you expected? Have you ever appeared on (or almost appeared on) any reality shows?