Of course Russ and I are still friends! We have been through thick and thin together and this little bump in our friendship hasn’t changed a thing. We still hang out and our bond is stronger than ever. I am glad that I gave Russ a shot romantically because it has put to rest all of those wonders… We are friends, nothing more, but BEST friends! Read more…

Sorry for the delay — here is the recipe for the fried green tomatoes Hadley and Russ make in this webisode.

They borrowed the instructions from Kellie — who tells SOAPnet.com they got them a little wrong. Here they are so you can recreate this southern delicacy at home! Read more…

I turned to Kellie to ask her advice about the whole Russ situation, and she was very helpful. Kellie has been through ups and downs in relationships and based on her experience, gave me great insight. The one thing I need to remember is that this is about me and Russ… no one else. I can ask everyone their personal opinion until I am blue in the face, but I need to follow my heart… and more importantly my intuition!

My birthday party was an eye-opening moment. Here I have my best friend confessing his love for me in front of everyone, and then a mere few seconds later he is hanging all over some blond! That totally sucked, but let’s be honest…we were all expecting it. Trust is a main factor in any relationship, and I have always had that with Russ. But then again we have never been ‘romantical’ before! Considering that I have had my heart crushed before, I was most certainly scared to put myself out there again. I thought to myself, “Who better to trust and take a risk on than my best friend?” I thought that I should at least give him a chance. Maybe Shea was right…he cannot be trusted. But what is flirting, really? He DID tell everyone there that he loved me. Maybe he will just be a flirt his whole life. But can I live with that? Would he ever take it a step further? I guess I am going to just to trust and give love a chance…I hope it doesn’t come back to bite me.
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You know, it was a little frustrating to have Shea interfering with all the drama that is Russ.  I know that her intentions are good-hearted, but give a guy a break!  He is my best friend, and who would be better to date than your own best friend?  I wish that she could just let me make my own mistakes.  I know that Shea is trying to protect me and is trying to prevent me from yet another broken heart… but that’s life!  I need to get out there and take risks… and Russ is a VERY big risk! If I don’t give Russ a chance I will always wonder, so I will have to truly give it a go and either find the true love of my life or have to turn to Shea and say, “Guess you were right!” I hate to say this, but Shea is usually right…

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Hadley at Shea's engagement dinner.

I have to admit that I was totally caught off-guard when Sterling broke up with me. I just needed some space and I didn’t know that he would take it that far. To this day I am still unsure of what I was going to do… be with him or break up. I thought that I would know when I saw him at my front door… but unfortunately my life is not a perfect romantic novel! Of course, it always sucks to get dumped but then I have to face the facts. If I didn’t want to be with him all of the time, then doesn’t that mean that something was missing? Aren’t you suppose to want to spend every waking moment with the one that you love? Life is complicated… and now my LOVE life is even more muddled!

I totally understand why Shea was upset with Emily at lunch. True — a haircut can be a big change in someone’s appearance, but an engagement is a change in someone’s life… forever! I was a little surprised at how Emily couldn’t stop obsessing about her hair… even to simply ogle at the ring. I was WAY more interested to get all of the juicy bits about how Jeff popped the question… I had just been dumped so I needed to hear that love does indeed conquer all and how is does really exist. However, all we really got were some details about Emily’s hair cut and how she could style it. Emily even asked the waiter if he liked girls with short hair!

What can I say… these two girls have different styles as well as different opinions as what constitutes ‘big’ news… Read more…

Hadley goes campaigning.

This episode was full of blind dates — I have been on enough blind dates for every girl in America! And yes, I have had enough blind dating disasters to last a life time.

The worst ever was when I was set up with a guy who was supposedly ‘amazing’. Now, I’m smart enough to steer clear of committing to a dinner, so I suggested a walk in the park. So the ‘amazing’ guy wheels up at my place and exits the car with a teeny tiny Chihuahua dog. He carried, yes carried, the dog up to me and introduced the dog as ‘Princess Polly’. This should have been my first sign. He then sets the pup down and she proceeds to drop a deuce in my front yard. He then scooped the poop and carried it throughout the entirety of our date (even though we passed multiple trash receptacles). We walked and talked and I soon realized it was going no where fast. PS. He was still carrying the dog. So then he suggests that we get some pizza. I told him that I had already eaten, but he asked me to join him none-the-less. I went, we sat outside, and Princess Polly sat across from me… in the seat. He ordered the most massive pizza, taking it FOREVER to cook. The pizza was covered in meat products and as he chowed out, he told me about his digestive problem and how the food just goes right through him. I sat with Princess Polly while he was in the bathroom for 15 minutes. Come on… you can’t even make this stuff up! He then walked me back to my door and then made his move. He attacked with all tongue and I ducked to get out of the way. I was unsuccessful and he ended up licking my cheek all the way to my ear. That was our first and only date to this day.

Nice guy, just not for me! Read more…

Hadley

I have always enjoyed sports, boating, four-wheeling and camping. Growing up in Owensboro, my family and I always spent many hours out on the breeze way, talking and having drinks. I actually enjoy being outdoors more-so than being in! My parents have a farm, where we spend every Thanksgiving, and we have hay rides and spend most of the day out on the porch. Being in Kentucky, I would say that most of the enjoyable activities are outside.

I was a tomboy at heart growing up! I was always getting dirty and riding my bike through town with my friends. I was the catcher for my softball team and didn’t mind squatting in the dirt. However, I was the catcher who had a bow in her hair and a compact in the dug-out!!

All that outdoorsiness aside, I am pretty sure that none of us caught anything on our fishing trip but a bunch of gossip and a promise for a make-over between Shea and Emily… and things got a little unpredictable… kind of like those worms! First off, come on ladies! They are just worms… they don’t even have teeth! Its not like you could lose a finger or anything! They were slimy, but hey, so are most of the guys that we date!

I consider myself more a catch-and-release kind of girl… both in fishing and in dating! I can never seem to hook anything worth taking home, stuffing and proudly placing above the fireplace! Read more…

Cooking With Sterling

The funniest thing happened after the show premiered! Ok…so I was at the bar with Russ, dancing and having fun, when this girl grabbed me and gasped. I start looking around thinking that either my hair was on fire or maybe she was another one of Russ’ girlfriends (haha, just kidding!). However, it wasn’t either of the above… she had recognized me from the preview and wanted a picture OF me. I, of course, agreed but asked that she at least take the photo WITH me! I have to say, I think by the end of it all I was more excited than her! It is a wonderful feeling when people gasp and smile when they see you!

Louisville, again, is a small town with all of the flare of a big city. So people have been very supportive and encouraging when it comes to the show. I think the locals are glad that Louisville, which I believe is the sixth character, is portrayed in a positive light. It is a gorgeous town with lovely people, and I am proud to call it home. I just hope that Louisville is proud to call us its Belles! Read more…

First: It’s so weird seeing myself on TV! I didn’t realize how much I can say without even opening my mouth. I am VERY expressive…and I give people all the wrong looks at all the right times. This is something that I need to start being aware of — especially when the cameras are rolling!

Funny faces aside, my friends and family are being extremely supportive of me as always. They have always stood by my decisions and actions … even when not the best! Now as for Louisville… everyone has been amazing! I have been out and about town and people have actually recognized me — and not because they sat next to me in class or danced with me at a pub, but because they saw a commercial or an episode. I have to admit, it’s kind of crazy to think that people know all about me and I know nothing about them!

Hadley at the Charity Event

The charity event in tonight’s episode — where do I even begin! We only had about 5 days to plan the whole event, so the pressure between all of us was at an absolute high. We all came together in the end, but I was disappointed in a few of the girls. Some people (who I will not mention) did not even make an effort to be ready as our guests arrived! Clearly some people do not know how to host an event (not that I do, but I know that my presence is needed!). I was glad that we raised some money for a good cause and I all can say is that I hope we learn from this and plan WAY in advance next time! Read more…

Check back Friday morning for Hadley’s blog, and get her feelings on what it was like to put together the charity event, how she feels about seeing herself on television, and her rollercoaster dating life.