That's the one thing I loved most about Tom when my son was younger was that he welcomed him with open arms. I'm very thankful. That's my guy.Collection: Thankful
You create real friendships through a growth process. It's not just, oh hi, we're friends! That's very childlike. True adult friendships take time, understanding, and it's a plant that needs to be watered and tended to so that it blossoms.
My husband's a lawyer, and I lived a lawyer's wife's life.
White diamonds can get boring, so I love a colored stone.
As you begin to develop real relationships and bonds it gets harder because sometimes you say things to people and hurt their feelings and you really care about them.
I have a really great bathtub, and I unwind by taking baths.
I'm a big sports fan and go to games.
Being able to express yourself under the name Erika Jayne and saying things people want to say but wouldn't, or doing things that people want to do but don't, or taking that extra leap of faith or pushing the levels of sexuality, or whatever, that helps Erika Girardi stand on her own two feet and be calm and peaceful.
I think as more women see that there are women out there building vibrant and creative and powerful lives and careers in their 40s, 50s, etc., then these older views of ageism will fall away.
I have a lot of sapphires in my collection.
I go to a dermatologist, so I'm under that kind of care because you really can't get this skin without a professional - that's the truth.
I'm a showman. I believe that you're a character every time you put on clothes.
The court of public opinion should not matter, but we're all human. And sometimes things sting. But I think you have to be willing to shake it off, and to not fall in love with the applause either.
It's great to have financial support. But having someone's emotional support is something that I wish I had more of growing up.
I was a starving artist.
All I can be is myself. I feel comfortable in my own skin, which I think is maybe what translates.
'Housewives' has shone a light on women of middle age, that you're not out of the game, you're not old, you're not put out to pasture... You're lively, you're doing things, you're aggressive, you're making money, you're recreating yourself.
I would have never thought to write a memoir, but I'm glad I did it.
I tend to look at the silver lining of things.
I was fortunate enough to go to an art school where we had a lot of different ethnicities represented.
I think art and dance is something everyone can relate to.
No matter what city I'm in, I'm always trying to run down a new Panthere ring.
I love costume jewelry, because, listen, you can't pick a real jewel every day.
I've dealt with this forever: the younger woman that married the wealthier, older man. I mean, I'm tired of having to justify my 20-year marriage.
People see me and assume one thing, and they get to know me and see that there's more there.
My ultimate goal was to make the music that I wanted to make, and give shows. I was never going to get a major label deal - I never wanted a major label deal - so I was really free to express myself.
I think anything you take on you should want to be the best.
I make music that speaks to me.
I think my mother and grandmother had style even though we're humble Southern people.
You have to work to look good. You don't wake up and effortlessly look fabulous.
I will always be fashion. I try to pull it together. I think that comes from a sense of self. That's how you create your own look.
I like fashion. I enjoy playing with it.
I like to describe my style as S&M chic with a little hood-rat appeal.
It's fun to have an over-the-top stage personality.
I don't think anyone should tap you on the shoulder and tell you that it's time to sit down and retire.
I trust my gut a lot.
There are only so many material things you can have before it becomes boring.
Erika Jayne was born out of rebellion. I like to break the rules.
I'm a big dreamer.
Erika Girardi likes her hair straight with a lot of product, just a really good blow-dry. Erika Jayne likes her hair ropey with a lot of product, really rock star and wild.
When I say there's a little bit of Erika Jayne in everybody, what I mean by that is: No one is one way all the time. No one is buttoned up all the time and no one is wild all the time. There are different parts to your personality, different layers - and that's really what Erika Jayne is, another layer to a human being.
As human begins, we all have layers to ourselves, you know?
I've grown up disciplined all my life as a dancer, so I know how to eat and work out.
My breakfast is egg whites, avocado and grilled tomatoes. Lunch is usually some type of chicken and then for dinner... I like to eat. I'll eat pasta even though I'm not supposed to.
I sleep on a Tempur-Pedic mattress, and I have custom-made sheets. They're white with some patterns, and the highest thread count of Egyptian cotton you can get.
The television in my bedroom is always on, so after I get out of the bath and put on my jammies, I sit in bed, curled up in my comforter with Tom, and we watch the news together until we fall asleep.
After dinner, there is no eating until the morning. My mom was really big on that.
You know, I entertain whether I'm on 'Housewives,' or whether I'm on 'Dancing With the Stars,' or whether I'm on 'Young and the Restless.'
Whether I'm performing in a club or onstage as Erika Jayne, whether I'm making records, whether I'm doing TV, I've got to entertain, and I have to take people away from their space and bring them into mine.
I had never, ever thought about being on any 'Real Housewives' show, so it was interesting to actually be on one.