Ashley Rub 
Real Housewives of Orange County newbie, Shannon Beador, has already made her mark so early in the season with her unique holistic beliefs, but it seems Bravo is really going to push for her marriage to actually be her storyline. Shannon has taken to her blog to explain her marriage a little more to viewers, and to state how bothered she is by Tamra Barney and Vicki Gunvalson making comments about it. Read below to see more of what she had to say
Another uncomfortable week sprinkled with bits of fun!
I am having a difficult time with the fact that you are only seeing a small snip of my life! I talked a little bit last week about the sarcastic banter that my husband and I have with each other, and you all were fortunate enough to be able to witness more of it this week! (That was sarcastic, by the way…)
David has a very dry sense of humor. He will say something sarcastic to me and I will respond in an irritated way –that’s how we typically act, especially around our friends. They laugh when they hear it because they know us. The other Housewives, however, feel awkward and I am sorry for that. I can understand why they feel that way as I watch the episode.
Let’s begin the dissection… Ah, the dinner party. Dinner is finally served tonight and everyone seems to like the food! It makes me feel good! To clarify, though, I do cook every night. If there is a meat that we are cooking on the grill, then David takes over that task. He thinks he cooks the meat portion of the meal the best, and he is probably right! Most nights when he is not working late, he cooks the meat and I make the rest of the meal. It is the time of day that we always spend together and something I really look forward to.
David references his dry sense of humor at the dinner table, and you are able to see my typical response. When David and I got married, I was so excited about becoming partners in life. I did want to get involved with his business is some way so that we would function in that capacity as a team. He did not want any part of that. As we enter into our 14th year of marriage, I understand where he was coming from. It has just been a running joke between us since we have been married. Both David and I are able to see how our banter may make people uncomfortable and it is something that we have been working on. It is important to both of us for people to see that we love each other!
It was nice to hear Tamra and Vicki say that I was down-to-earth. While I know that certain parts of my life appear over the top, David and I do pride ourselves that we are never afraid to get our hands dirty. It is our ultimate goal to raise our three daughters so that they are humble, gracious, and respectful girls. Hopefully we will get there!
I mean it when I say that one of the signs of a successful party for me is a “little bit of crazy.” I think we accomplished that this time. It’s always fun to have our guests go down to the basketball court and see some of the testoserone fly. And on this night, it was an added bonus to get some of the gals down there. By the way, nice shot Vicki!
Tamra and I clearly started to bond that night. I haven’t had a shot since before I was married, but when she suggested it, I was game. I have never been one to turn down something wild! But let’s make it clear — Tamra poured the shot — I think there were probably four shots total in the glass! When I offered her one of my herbal Party Smart pills, I thought it was hilarious that she climbed up and laid on the kitchen counter. Did she think I was going to do a body shot? Give her an injection? And by the way, on those nights where you are going to have more than a couple drinks, the Party Smart pill does wonders! I don’t know who makes this supplement, but it’s my secret weapon for those zany and outrageous evenings which I love to have from time to time!
As the night wound down, we all sat in my family room and Vicki invited us to her home for “Fakesgiving.” I want to explain myself about how I reacted to David. Some people don’t understand his dry sense of humor and may get offended. I wanted to let Vicki know that most of David’s comments are jokes so that she wouldn’t think he was serious when he made a face about coming to her neighborhood. But even so, I didn’t sound like a kind and loving wife when I said it. I need to work on my delivery and tone. You see that dry sense of humor and my reaction again at Vicki’s. Do you notice the uncomfortable pattern yet???
I am bit bothered that Vicki and Tamra are commenting on the state of my marriage when they really don’t even know me. The most ironic thing is that I was not mad at my husband at all after the party and he was not mad at me.
I am a bargain shopper. I truly am. Come into my formal living room and I will show you the antique chairs that I bought for $100 apiece or the twin beds for Adeline’s room that were $150 for the pair. David and I splurged on one item in our home and that was our foyer chandelier. We certainly did not pay the 50-percent off price of $120,000 — we paid substantially less. I looked for chandeliers for our foyer for about three years and found nothing as spectacular as the one we purchased. Our thought process was to make an investment in the first impression and focal point of our house. If I told you the price tags of all the other chandeliers we purchased, you would be impressed. One of my passions is having a story behind each piece of furniture I buy. That bargain is part of my story.
I had a great time at Vicki’s house for “Fakesgiving.” I tend to host all of the holidays (which I love to do), but it was nice to be at someone else’s home for a meal. It made me sad to hear Vicki and Tamra say that they felt judged or “less than” by Heather. I suggested they speak to her about it. I am direct (sometimes to a fault, though) and believe that being honest and communicating how you feel is the best way to address concerns you are having.
You all get to meet one of my favorite people of all time in this episode, Larry Gust. We have worked with him for the last 10 years. He is an environmental consultant and guided us throughout our entire building process. You got to see Larry walking through my house with a meter that reads electromagnetic radiation (EMF). I believe that EMFs are a stressor on the immune system and can cause damage to one’s health. I mean it when I say that I don’t care if people take me seriously about these issues. Sleep is one of the most important components of maintaining good health, and I want my family to have the healthiest sleep environment possible. To be honest, I hope I am wrong. I truly hope that people are not being harmed by EMFs and cell phone radiation and that no one can come up to me in 30 years and say that I was right. If there are reports out there, however, that support my choices, I am going to err on the side of caution. Larry can be contacted at lgust@gustenviro.com.
Thoughts on what Shannon had to say? What do you think about her marriage?
