As some of y’all might know, Graham Bunn’s charity 46NYC is hosting an event for Alex’s Lemonade Stand in Central Park (Merchant’s Gate) this Sunday (9/23) from 1-5pm.

I participated in this event last year and I could not be more honored to have helped plan this event this year. There will be so many great people there from Bachelor, Bachelorette, and Bachelor Pad! This year’s guest list includes: Ashley Hebert, JP Rosenbaum, Rachel Truehart, Bob Guiney, Michelle Money, Jaclyn Swartz, Jenna Burke, Ed Swiderski, Chris Bukowski, Sarah Newlon, Graham Bunn, Marissa May, Juan Barbieri, Jamie Otis, Kevin Calrow, Reid Rosenthal, Craig Robinson, Dave Mallet, Donna Zitelli, Chris “Swat” Bain, William Holman, Jeremy Cade Anderson, Alli Travis, Lisa Morrisey, Stacey Queripel, and me!

In addition to the event on Sunday, 46NYC is also sponsoring a concert on Saturday where everyone can come meet Bachelor alumni, rock out to Guiney and Grimes and support Alex’s Lemonade Stand!

Ok, so I know y’all are wondering how the heck y’all can win WTA and Bachelor finale tickets?

Starting today, if you make a $20+ donation on the virtual stand or at Saturday/Sunday’s event or purchase an Alex’s Lemonade t-shirt (details coming soon on where you can purchase), your name will be put into a drawing to win tickets to this year’s Women Tell All and Bachelor finale in LA.

Of course we aren’t quite sure who the Bachelor is yet (cough, cough Sean?) but ABC executive Robert Mills, my favorite person ever, was kind enough to donate 4 tickets and y’all could be lucky enough to win!

So get to donating y’all! Hope to see y’all at the events!

By now, y’all should know that have two main activities in life. One is staring at pictures of Ryan Gosling all day. The other is reading.

Luckily, this post can combine two of my loves.

Since the Summer reads post was such a hit - I thought I’d start one for this fall!

I’m going to bring over some that I didn’t get to this Summer and add some new ones!

This Is How You Lose Her - Junot Diaz

Ancient Light - John Banville

Defending Jacob - William Landay

Blackberry Winter - Sarah Jio

Sweet Tooth - Ian McEwan

The Casual Vacancy - J.K. Rowling

Reflected in You - Sylvia Day

Every Day - David Levithan

One Last Thing Before I Go - Jonathan Tropper

In the Land of the Long White Cloud - Sarah Lark

The Hypnotist’s Love Story - Liane Moriarty

Seating Arrangements - Maggie Shipstead

The Red House - Mark Haddon

Carry the One -Carol Anshaw

Blue Asylum - Kathy Hepinstall

Still Alice - Lisa Genova

We Only Know So Much - Elizabeth Crane

Also - check out my other list of books that I’ve read this year!

Did I leave off something amazing that I should definitely read? Leave your recommendations!

Did y’all pee your pants too?

Read the recap here and leave some comments!

My episode 7 recap is up!

Did y’all think this episode was as awkward/hilarious as I did?

Read the recap here!

$h!t was crazy y’all!  Read the recap here!

My Bachelor Pad 3 recap is up!

Read it here or Blakeley will wax your balls in your sleep!

Very few people know what it’s like to go on national television and air out your love life but I can assure you that it’s not very fun at the end of the day.  Sure, we sign up for it and we know it goes along with the territory but having other people pass judgment on your mistakes in life and love is never an easy pill to swallow.

I’ve always believed that you should go on these shows and be yourself, tell the truth, and go after your heart - but that sometimes seems a little impossible on Bachelor Pad.

I’ll admit that I was shaking my head at Jamie this week and pulling the covers over my head quite a few times, but mostly I could identify with some of her actions and choices.  Seriously ladies (and men), did y’all ever mess up in ANY relationship?  You never picked the wrong person?  You never put up with something that you shouldn’t have?

I think that I can personally relate to Jamie because we both had our share of family/life upheaval.  This isn’t an excuse and I know y’all are reading this and thinking “so have a lot of people” but just hear me out for a second.

When I was in high school, I was basically forced to move out of my parents home and live on my own.  The reasons aren’t important but just know that I had two jobs, was busting my butt to get a scholarship to UNC, and I was practically not speaking to my family.  I moved into the basement of my boyfriend’s grandmother’s house and I have NEVER felt more alone.

It was around this time that I stopped respecting myself and started looking for someone to SAVE me.  Maybe I’ve read too many books or I’ve seen to many movies, but I really thought that the answer to all of my problems was finding a guy that would want to take care of me and rescue me from all of the turmoil.  During the next couple of years, I put up with physcial abuse, emotional abuse, and I refused to get out of bad relationships.

I had it in my head that I could change someone.  Even if they cheated, even if they hit me, even if they wanted to break up with me - I could change their mind.  I could always be a better girlfriend and make them love me.

I passed up a lot of good guys during this time.  Guys who would have accepted me as I was, guys who actually did want to trouble themselves with a hot mess like myself, but I usually went after the unattainable guys.  Relationships were the one part of my life where I felt I needed, and could have control.  Because of this, I wanted to be able to make the playboy fall in love with me and give up his ways.  I wanted to give the abuser the chance to stop hitting and say that I’m the person that made him change.  Did this ever happen?  I don’t really think I need to tell y’all the answer to that.  Y’all saw me bawling in the back of the limo as I left the Bachelor - I was an emotional trainwreck at the end of all that.  I had been through pretty horrible relationships for the past 7 years.

So here’s what I’m really trying to say: I see a lot of myself in Jamie and I know that I’m not alone.  She made some mistakes but I’m sure she watched the show and was embarrassed - let’s let her try to change her ways without calling her pathetic, crazy, or unstable.  She’s a young, beautiful girl that hasn’t had the easiest life and us hating on her isn’t making it any better.

Do y’all have any relationship stories that you’d like to share?  Have you ever put up with less than you deserved?  Do you have any advice for Jamie or girls like her?