Hey guys!

It was another good night! I’m really happy with our rumba! It was so nice out there and one of those performances where you feel carried though.

It was hard this week putting the whole dance together. We struggled Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and even Saturday a little bit and really Sunday was when it all started to come together. I think it was important for us to create our alter egos. The first day, Mark’s like, ‘This is how you have to move and look at me.” And he was in my face. I was like, “Oh my God! I’m a mom with kids! What are people going to think?” Obviously, no one else in the competition is thinking that — they are married with kids. So it was just like, “let me just take myself out of this and put someone else there and become that person so I don’t have to think about being a mom."

I was so excited to see my kids in rehearsal! They were up in San Francisco for a week, so it had been eight days since I had seen them. That brought a smile to my face and made my whole day. And [my husband] Bret came too, which was even better! I definitely wanted him to see the number before we performed it. We got his approval. He really liked it and was actually moved by it, so I think that gave me the confidence to really take on that part of Kristiana!

I still can’t believe we’ve been getting these kinds of scores! It feels great! We’re really just trying to dance our best and enjoy the audience and the floor, but of course, pleasing the judges is vital. I love Bruno’s ‘Yamalicious’ comment. He took that right out of our little video diary thing. It’s fun to surprise them once again in another week of dance.

Thank you to everyone for voting and for your support! Now the competition is getting closer and closer, Mark and I are relying on you guys more than ever, so we want you to know we really appreciate it!

See you tonight!

Kristi

Hi everyone!

 

Hope you had a great weekend!

 

We’ve been working long and hard on our rumba. It’s definitely different from the other dances we’ve done thus far. It’s our first really soft, slow-moving type of dance so we’re going to be doing our best to capture the passion and try to please Len!

 

People have been asking me if Mark and I hang out outside of the rehearsal studio and the answer is yes! We've become really good friends and we hang out together a lot. Rehearsals can get really intense and tough every now and then, so Mark and I just leave and grab a bite to eat. Whenever it gets a little overwhelming, we take a break and go chow down. Last week, after we had lunch, we went to the car wash because Mark had to get his car cleaned! I know that doesn't sound very exciting, but it's just nice to get away for a bit and relax.

See you all tonight!

 

Kristi

Hey guys!

 

Thank you for voting for us! Another week! Yay! We really appreciate it!

 

I’m sad Adam [Carolla] left. He was really starting to get into it and he was so much fun to have around! He definitely brought a sense of fun and lightheartedness to the show. We’re being serious and I think he knows what his strength is — to entertain people. He wasn’t afraid to show that side of himself. He’ll be missed for sure. I’ve also gotten to know Julianne [Hough] pretty well. She’s part of the reason I wanted to do the show, so it’s been fun to get to know her. She better come back for more pro dances! I’m excited about her new career as a country singer. I’m already looking at tour dates so I can go see her perform live!

 

How cute were the child dancers?! They were so adorable and so unbelievably talented! Wow. I was so impressed with their poise. I can kind of picture Keara doing that. I’m going to talk to the little ones here and ask if they like competing. If they say no, I’m going to say no about Keara doing it!

 

Keara’s still learning my dances! My kids will watch our dances over and over on YouTube and ask us to play the music. Keara danced a foxtrot with Mark all the way through and had better frame than I do! And Emma’s still got a crush on Mark! She still gets very shy and smiley around him! It’s so cute!

 

I love having my family and friends here watching and cheering me on. Some of my friends from skating have come to see me on the show already — Peggy Fleming and Evan Lysacek — and I think Brian Boitano and Scott Hamilton might be coming in the next couple weeks… if we’re still here! I really appreciate them taking the time out to come support me. I’m not sure about Apolo Anton Ohno yet. I haven’t talked to him since starting this — I’ve kind of talked to him through other people. Hopefully he’ll be here at the show in a couple of weeks as well!

 

Next week we’re tackling the rumba. It’s sexy, full of passion and heat. We’re going to try our best to take what Len [Goodman] said about bringing out more emotion and making it look different from our other dances.

 

So I’m apparently the butt in Jason [Taylor]’s eyes! That was a fun analogy. At first I didn’t know what he was talking about and then I realized, “Oh, that’s me!” Although, I must say, I’d rather have his butt in sight!

 

Back to rehearsals!

 

Thanks again for your support!

 

Kristi

Hey everyone!

I hope you watched last night! To be first out of the gate was tough, but we brought it!
I’m happy with our paso doble. It was a rough week and we worked on a lot of things. I was really happy we were able to bring another level on the dance floor. I wanted to please the judges.

I’m so psyched about our 29! We got our first 10s! It’s completely crazy to be getting these kinds of scores! I’m honored with those scores and I hope you guys just continue to enjoy the performances.

I know I have a lot of stuff to work on though. Len [Goodman] said I am too similar every week. I'm not offended at all by his critcism. He knows what ballroom is all about and he’s just giving some words of advice to think about and to help improve on, so we’ve got to work on things still. It’s never going to be enough.

 

We went for a very traditional paso doble look with the costumes. It was a real gypsy look going on and I liked it! Mark went for the matador look and I had the cape with a flowy skirt. Hopefully I used it and worked it enough!

 

I loved Adam Carolla and his unicycle! It was definitely…different! It was fun. He knows how to have a good time and put on a show. We all had a laugh about it!

 

Last night was also special because my husband made it in to see me perform! It was fun for him to see the show live for the first time and having him here gives me a little more confidence when you know someone is in the audience pulling for you! He was kind of sitting in my trailer while I was getting ready for the show and I was like, “You have to go sit down because they’re going to give your seat away!” I think he’s excited and he knows we’ve worked really hard. He’s been very supportive, so it’s great to do well in front of him!

Thanks to everyone who voted for us! See you all tonight! Keep your fingers crossed!

Kristi