Sliding into Home- the Wrap Up

The reason I used this as the first book is because this is the book that back in December inspired me to even start a bookclub. The first time I read this book I was so touched by the raw truth and unpolished nature of this book. This to me is a perfect example of yoga, and she is a commendable yogi in a 'non traditional' sense. I love that yoga is not about 'being perfect' but about being you, embracing and honoring your truth, or dharma. I can not deny that I also identify with Kendra and her life on a personal level as we both have lived semi-similar lives. So personally I loved the strength behind this, how just because something has been one way does not mean it is destined to be that way. That if you live in what you classify as darkness does not mean that you are doomed or stuck, that you are only a victim or a hero if that's what you say. Life happens all the time every moment around us, but reality really is what we make it. True growth and happiness comes when we finally learn that we are responsible for our reactions, emotions and reality. When we let go of blaming others or circumstances. And when we realize that light is just light, and dark is just dark, that nothing is 'good or bad'. When we accept what is just is we are free from suffering.
I wanted to share Kendra with you as a reminder and an example of this.

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Sliding into Home- Part 4

This last section gets us all the way up to what was Kendra's present life when writting this book- her journey from Playboy celebrity, to wife, to move, having a classic Disney 'they all lived happily ever after' ending.

Chapter 17- No Flash-in-the-Pan Relationship
Having met the love of her life, Kendra was still living in the Mansion as Hef's girlfriend, but with things being so new, and not yet knowing what was already so clear to Fate, Kendra and Hank had to be very careful about persuing their relationship (not that dissimilar to Gweniver and Lancelot.

Chapter 18- The Secret to Love
Season5, the final season of Holly, Bridget and Kendra being The Girls Next Door, all 3 of them were ready for the end and looking for their own versions of change. When Hank and Kendra confessed their love to one another, Kendra confessed to Hef, and at the wrap if season 5 she moved out of the Mansion.

Chapter 19- On My Own Now
With everything out in the open and blessings from Hef, Kendra's move out was drawing near. She would leave on good terms to a new home with her now fiancee Hank, and a new show of her own, 'Kendra'

Chapter 20- A Biscuit in Mrs. Baskett
This chapter covers the first season os the show 'Kendra'. Kendra and Hank start living together and have 7 months to plan their wedding, finding out they are pregnant along the way. Some heartache occurs when Kendra comes clean to her mom, and hormones and an advancing wedding date add some stress and tension. With the help of supporters in her network of friends, including Hef, the big day finally comes together beautifully with the venue that changed her life once, the Playboy Mansion, as the destination for the wedding. It was a beautiful end transitioning her fully into her new life.

Chapter 21- The Adventure Continues
'I was so happy enjoying what I had that I wasn't going to dwell on what I didn't have.' As the book comes to a close, she ends with sharing about the birth of her son, little Hank Jr., and reflects upon her life from childhood and everything leading her up to this stage of her being. Ending again in her words: 'I've learned that I don't need to be in such a rush to move onto the next person or place. Life is filled with risks worth taking and new adventure worth running toward...' 'I like growing up and I like change, and everyday I can't wait to see what happens next.'


Also including the books Intro:
Introduction-
I never highlighted this part of the book and in closing up the read I think its a great place to go back to. I especially love when she says, 'But I wouldn't be the Kendra I am today without the life experiences I've had and, more importantly, the people who have been in my life thoughout this entire journey.' Because after all, that is what it's all about. =)

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Sliding Into Home- Part 3

This section covers her transition from a self-discovering teen, to blossoming into womanhood, with her experiences with Hef and the Mansion, to meeting her soulmate and true Love Hank Baskett.

Chapter 11- Fresh Princess of Bel Air
This chapter sets up for her life with Playboy and living with Hef in the Mansion perminantly, leaving her boyfriend Zack and following her destiny with faith and bravery.

Chapter 12- Party Hopping with Bunnies
What started off as a fairie tale, turned into a bad case of cabin fever. Kendra was starting to contimplate going home, but decided to give things a real try before rashly quitting. It started with going out and trying to make friends with the other girls staying there, but she soon learned that not everyone is trustworthy. Next she decided to get more involved in her life vs. the Mansion life and got herself enrolled in school.

Chapter 13- Playing the Role of Kendra Wilkinson
Kevin Burns (or K-Boo) a film producer pitched the idea to Hef to film a documentary about Hef's life, which transformed into a reality series about Hef and his girlfriends called 'The Girls Next Door' (or GND). Soon into filming Kendra learned that reality television is not so much about reality itself as much as being influenced or inspired by reality. Off camera the hype of the show was causing drama in the Mansion, and fierce compitition, and on camera reality was being made very 2D with staged scenes and turning the girls into characters of themselves.

Chapter 14- Going Home a Star
With the success of the show and the start of the second season, a lot of the kinks of filming and being filmed were being resolved and the 3 girls all started to bond vs. 2 against 1. Also with Kendra viewing herself on TV weekly it got her thinking about her life and her future, and she became pro-active about getting more hands on with her own life instead of just enjoying a free ride.

Chapter 15- Breakout Star
By season 3, either from stress, sweat, or chocolate Kendra was breaking out for the first time in her life and feeling lower than ever. Eventually with hard work and time her acne clearned up and she had a real insightful self awareness moment when she learned how to stop blaming and start owning. Taking charge now by season 4 she learned the art of responsibility and investment, and the power of helping others.

Chapter 16- When Kendra Met Hank
'I like change, and I need change, so I knew I was due for a big move. 'The thing is, I usually just let nature take its course and guide me.' Kendra says at the beginning. If this chapter. Little did she know that 'big move' would come in the form of meeting the love of her life.

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Sliding into Home- Part 2

This segment covers Kendra's 'bad girl|rebellious' years, age 14-18, everything that has led her to womanhood, and Holmby Hills.

Leading us off, Chapter 5- Summer Druggin'
After being kicked out of school, Kendra spent her summer playing soccer, skateboarding, delving deeper into coccain and got introducedto acis. Her mother spent the summer trying everything to get Kendra back into school, alas fall came, no one would take Kendra, so she finished her last year of middle school in a course for delinquents, all while stealing, doing more drugs, and running away from home. With much struggle, come freshmen year she would be accepted into Clairemont High with everyone who passed regular middle school.

Chapter 6- Not-so-Fresh Feeling
The beginning of Kendra's freshman year was a bit of a Double Jeopardy, she tried to be a 'good kid' have a fresh start at a new school, turn over a new leaf, however with he delinquent record on file, she wasn't treated as anything more than that. So she gave up her efforts, and went back to hanging out with the tough crowd. In this crowd she met her first 19 year old 'bad boy' boyfriend Tony, where the new thrills were meth and vandilization. Durning this relationship, at school she also had a girlfriend for while, and another boyfriend to take her to school events. Eventually Tony was arrested, she was rejected by her new group, and summer started where for a while she had a 'good boy' boyfriend, whilst she lived with her bestfriend Brittany.
With the end of summer and the start of sophmore year, and her drug craz growing, her wmotions were so overwhelming that she began cutting, and attempted suicide with pill overdose. Living back with her mom, she was sent to a mental institution for 2 weeks, with no view of the outside world, forcing her to take some time to practice turning inward and facing herself.

Chapter 7- Hitting Bottom
When she got out of the institution,she was no longer depressed nor suicidal, but her awareness of her drug addiction led her to admitt to herself that she was not going to quit. To help, Kendra's mother had he in a rehab school for a while, but with all the students being on drugs, Kendra ended up doing more drugs in there than back at home, so she went back to Clairemont. Being back in her old school got her into old habits hanging out with the apartment crowd where she met a drug dealer name Mario, who became her 'boyfriend' but really they just did coke and had sex.
One day she told her mom she was moving out, and she stayed with Mario, dropped out of school and helped him sell drugs. - her long lost dad called out of the blue wanting to see her, it was a reunion that never happened and sent her in an emotional downward spiral. One party night she lost control of how much coke she was having and nearly died, but finally gaining the clarity everyone had been trying to force on her. She was ready to give up drugs and come back home and work hard at being a model young lady.

Chapter 8- All Work and No Play
Being back home Kendra made a promise to not lie, or steal, and to treat her family with respect. She was also expected to get a job and go back to school and follow every rule.
Back in school she took an IQ test and it was determined she had a learning disability. Being placed in new classes she made friends and was encouraged and excited to learn. She also got a job at Papa Johns, not her ideal, but between having a job and doing well in school and be being frug free her confidence was growing and her attitude grew positive. It was at this stage of her life, when she was a 16 year old JR, that she met her first real love, 20 year old Zack, another man that her mother approved of. Senior year all that stayed, with the addition of her fist car and a dental assistant job replacing the one flipping pizzas. She graduated highschool in a completely different place than where she entered.

Chapter 9- Working Hard for the Money
After highschool Kendra and Zack spent a lot of time at car shows which led to Kendra's first modeling experience posing with cars and motorcycles. Eventually they both decided they wanted an apartment together and move out of their parents' houses, but first Kendra would need a higher paying job. With confidence from modeling, and moving in with Zack as her motivation, they both agreed she could quit the dentist's office and become a stripper. Her new job gave her the apartment, new friends, confidence, maturity, self awarenenss and her yet to be famous breast implants.

Chapter 10- Adventure in Wonderland
The car show modeling had landed Kendra the job serving jell-o shots in body paint at the Playboy Mansion, with much hesitation from Zack and her family, it was eventually worked out to where she could go. As that first night ended she was invited back for Hef's real birthday for an overnight that weekend. She was a little hesitant and lost at first, but eventually she just fell into place with where she knew at this stage in her life she needed and wanted to be.

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Sliding Into Home - Part 1

The first 3 chapters mostly just give some background knowledge and content about the author, Kendra Wilkinson-Baskett, to lay foundation to the rest of the book, and by chapter 4 you start to get a feel for the tempo of the book.

Chapter 1- A Tale of Two Kendras
This chapter is a flashback to her first night at the Playboy Mansion as a painted lady|cocktail server at Hug Hefner's 78th Birthday Bash, also being the smae night he asked her to be his girlfriend, changing her life forever.

Chapter 2- No Room For Daddy
Goes back to when she was 3 years old. This chapter begins the speed of the book, highlighting her past childhood, and adolecence, all the events that led to that life changing party.
To begin she goes into detail discussing the abandonment of her father and the strain it caused her family.
Noteable events include: her divorced maternal grandparents moving from New Jersey to San Diego to helpfill the gap her father left when he went away. Also a moment of meditation occured when her father left the final time when she was about 5, and her mother took Kendra and her younger brother Colin to the bay where Kendra found herself surrounded by ladybugs, and got so lost in their wonder that she forgot to be sad, and was overrun by peace and ease.
It was throught her elementary school years that she discovered her love of sports, specifically soccer and softball. It was also at age 7 that her rebellious spirit was born when an over informative babysitter informed Kendra and her friend loosly about sex, leading the two girls to attemp a child's version of what was shared in Kendra's closet.

Chapter 3- A Friend In Need
This chapter covers her last years of elementary school and segways into her transition to middle school. This chapter mostly covers her struggle to fit in and feel accepted, and her openness to befriend anyone. Such friends includeed edlerly individuals in her community, a little boy with cancer (whom passed away when Kendra was 8), and a little black girl which taught her a calued lesson in life when Kendra discovered that there were no black Barbie dolls for her to give to her friend for her birthday. She also learned to love others and treat them with respect, striving never to hurt anyone phhysically nor emotionally as she herself had been continually hurt by bullies. The end of the chapter she leaves elementary school setting up chapter four with her journey to middle school.

Chapter 4- A Perfect Misfit
It is here where a young girl's interest in maturity, and desire to be an adult leads her down an adventurous path.
Things started small with sneaking out of the house and drinking alcohol, to hanging out with highschool qand college aged teens and young adults leading her to sex, illegal drugs, skipping school, smoking, bringing alcohol to school and eventually getting expelled right before summer vacation.

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