Happy Chaos (33 page)

Randi Zuckerberg, my incredible friend and soul sister, thank you for your kindness and love.

Eric and Karyn Lammerding, your friendship has meant so much to me and I feel so very lucky for all of our moments together.

Josh, Jenny, and all of my friends at Target—thank you for believing in me. I am so proud and grateful to work with you.

Everyone at Deca, I am having so much fun doing our show. Thanks for the laughs and smiles.

Anna Babbitt and the whole team at New Wave, I am so excited for the adventure that we are on and the road ahead.

Jack Gray, you have been such a fantastic friend and told me that I could make it happen. There is no one who I love sharing a cab with more in NYC than you and I adore you.

Alyson Croft, you are a terrific friend who has always been there for me. I am forever grateful.

Robert Kelly, thank you for making my best friend so happy and for always being a sounding board for me.

Teddy Bass, you are not only the most incredible trainer in the world, you are a loyal friend and a constant inspiration.

Heather McComb: Thank you for always being such a special and beautiful part of my life.

Melissa Joan Hart, Paula, and the whole Hart family, thank you for all of your love and support over the years and for being a second family.

Keleigh Thomas, Arpi, and everyone at Sunshine Sachs, thank you for taking this project on and for sticking with me on this wild road.

Mike Lincoln, thank you for everything. You have been a force of ongoing encouragement.

Special thanks to David Altman, Barry Greenfield, and Ellen Nadel. Thank you for always keeping us on the right track.

Sarah, Ali, and your gorgeous kids, I love you.

To Arlene, Larry, and the whole Sommer family, Bonnie Bruckheimer, Miranda, Scott, Carol, Rio, Dakota, and the rest of the big extended family we have, thank you for the get-togethers, laughter, and joy you bring into our lives.

Iris, Constance, and the whole Walker family, I am so thankful for you being such an amazing family to all of us.

Floyd (Daddy 2), thank you for those wonderful pancakes and Sunday mornings. I will always hold them close to my heart.

To Gyorgie and the whole Peluce family, you inspire me so very much and have always welcomed me with open arms. Thank you.

Lauren, thank you for sitting by my side with a thousand photo albums and for taking notes while I talked about my crazy adventures. You came on to something that was in full swing and were ready to dive in and willing to help with anything. I am forever thankful.

Matt Boren: Oh my, I can't believe this is the part in the book where I get to thank you. Thank you for our years, our mixes, our poems, and our adventures. Thanks to your whole entire family for welcoming me as part of their own. It has been a roller coaster, an adventure, but the road will always bring me back to you. I love you, MB.

To Punky Brewster, a character who will forever live on in my heart. You are me and I am you! PUNKY POWER FOREVER!

To Brandon Tartikoff, I will miss you always and forever. You gave Punky her spirit and me my first big break at dreaming bigger than I ever imagined. You were television at its greatest, when being a part of a network was truly being a part of a family. As a kid there was no other place I would have rather been. I hope you are watching me from a giant cloud and that I have made you proud as I carry a piece of you with me. To Lilly and the whole Tartikoff family, thank you for your love throughout the years.

To David Duclon, your vision and creation will forever be so close to my heart. You made every day fun. We were kids first and foremost and there was no better playground than the set of
Punky.
To Gary Menteer and the entire staff of writers, producers, and crew. To anyone who ever gave me a piggyback ride down the halls, applied makeup with care, kept me fed and happy, or taught us that jumping off of furniture with pogo sticks was just as important as showing up to set. You each helped form the mother I am today and I carry your lessons with me always. To Gene Doucette and all of the team that gave Punky her unique style and inspired millions of people to carry on the legacy of mismatched shoes and individuality. To my friends in the cast: George Gaines, you were such a brilliant actor to work beside. I will forever remember your talent, your warmth, and your heart. To the fantastic actors and family that I got to play with on a daily basis: Cherrie, Amy, Casey, T. K. Carter, Susie, and the rest of the awesome cast. To the families of the cast and Mrs. Johnson, thank you for the sleepovers and great laughs throughout our days. Cherrie, I am forever grateful that you did not run away from me that first day we met and you saw my crazy drawings. Instead you became my friend and family.

To the Wright family, thank you for your kindness and for always opening your home and hearts to me. Thank you for allowing Maggie the freedom to make my childhood so much more colorful.

To Yana Gorskaya, you have been such an incredible friend to me. There is no one I would rather be locked in an editing room with than you. You are a brilliant storyteller and friend, and have guided me through some of my toughest moments. I love you and your family so very much. To Gina Leonard, who was the first person to jump on the
Sonny Boy
journey and who never stopped believing in me. Thank you for believing in me, and to Todd Hickey and the rest of the team on our adventure, I am so grateful that you gave me one of the greatest gifts, the ability to carry on my father's memory.

To my brother Sean, Aunt Carol, Uncle Mel, Uncle Junior, Nancy, and the rest of my Iowa and Tennessee family, I love you.

To Dan, Shervin, Kevin Rose, Ev, and my friends up North. Thank you for the continued inspiration.

Charles Porch, Erin Kanaley, Mandy Zibart, and all of my friends at Facebook–much love and thanks to you.

Terra Williger and Sally Mueller, you have both been such forces in my life. I am truly grateful.

Sean and the whole team at J/P/HRO, thank you for opening my eyes to the world in a whole new light.

To the Green family, I appreciate that you recognized, from the time that I was a child, my potential to turn into a somewhat normal adult.

My good friend Eric Buterbaugh, I love you and always will.

Jeff Ballard, you will always have a special place in my heart. Thank you for always reminding me of the child within.

To Marlon Brando, Paul Newman, Tony Francioso, and Dennis Hopper, thank you for touching my father's life and, in turn, leaving a legacy for me to share with my children and generations to come.

To Grandma Jackie, thank you for being an incredible god-grandmother to me, and to Evelyn who embraced me like I was her own. To both Roses, we carry you with us always. To the grandparents who are watching over us now, thank you for paving the way for us.

To Carol and all of the Mastersons, thank you for always providing a second home for me and for pushing us to be messy and have fun as kids.

The Goss family: Shalon and Ed, watching you has taught me the power of human strength. To Bryten and Rose, thank you for encouraging me to live my dash in between to the fullest.

To Carol Bovill, and the rest of the Wilshire Boulevard Temple, thank you for your guidance and for always serving as a pillar of strength for us. To Rabbi Leder, there are some people you come across in your lifetime that leave an indelible mark on you, and for us, you are that person.

To all of my childhood crushes, and I know there were so many more, thank you for inspiring me and my love of boys from a very young age. This one goes out to Jake Ryan, R.J. Williams, Chad Allen, Danny Masterson, Brian Green, Andy Gibb, Johnny Depp, C. Thomas Howell, Charlie Sheen, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Mario Lopez, Balthazar Getty, Mark Wahlberg, and Joey Lawrence.

The Weiss family, thank you for always being an extended family to me.

To Jonathan Brandis and the Brandis family, our friendship throughout the years was one of the closest. My teenage memories are filled with visits from you and a special appreciation for my cat suits. There is a chapter in my heart that is dedicated just to you and our teenage glory.

Justin Pierce, Harold, Rodney, E, and my incredible friends whose memory I hold with me each and everyday—I miss you always.

Taylor, Ashley, and the entire Little Seed team. Thank you beyond words.

To Kidada, Quincy, Rashida, and Peggy, for letting me have so many sleepovers, and to Rashida, who put up with us.

To Bonnie Bishop and Karen Francho, who embraced my quirks from an early age and taught me to always feel comfortable even if it meant showing up to school in only a t-shirt.

Thank you to all of the people mentioned in this book and to those friends who are a constant inspiration. I know someone will be left out, so I am truly sorry in advance.

A special thank you to: Dr. Robert Katz, Dr. Jay Gordon, Dr. Vicki Rappaport, Dr. Soram, Dr. Sugarman, and all of the Docs. Danny O'Connor, The House of Pain, Cathy Moriarty, Joey, and all of my friends from Mulberry Street Pizzeria. Thank you for being a highlight in my life. Kevin Connelly, Scott Caan, Marissa Ribisi, Chrissy Hudson, Danny Wells, Muhammad Ali, Francis Ford Coppola, Kate Meyer, and all of my friends at the Alzheimer's Foundation. Balthazar and Rosetta Getty, the Lawrence family, Jenny Lewis, Rosemary Rodriguez, Kerry Jak, Jenny Feldon, April, and John Shook for always keeping us well fed and happy. Buzz Aldrin, Michael Jackson, Bubbles, Elizabeth Taylor, John Hughes. Colee Videlle and Melissa Skoff for being with me since the beginning. Mr. Farr, Stephanie Elkin, Andy Weiss, the Robinsons, Amanda Schoun, Betsy McLaughlin, Donna and the amazing staff who take such good care of my dad, Justin Leigh and Karina, Bonnie Bruckheimer, Lucy Liu, Courtney Karp, Claire Stansfield, Ms. Sophie, Guy O' and Michelle, David Benveniste, the Sassoon family, the Mullers, Jason and Amanda, Jason Weinberg and Merrick, Stephanie Simon and Jason Newman, Holly Robinson, Amanda de Cadenet, Mike and Stephanie Seltzer, Lisa Brenner and Dean Devlin, Janine Jones, Debbie Levin, Marsha, Thomas Butkiewicz, Duncan Bird, Casey O'Brien, and Eitan.

To all the amazing people who shared their stories and tips in this book through the “Question of the Day” or “Finish the Sentence,” you added more than you'll ever know to the process and the finished product. Thank you @Vanity ace fake, Alea, Allen, Amanda, Amelia, Amy, Amy B., Amy L., AnaLiesa, AnnaMae, Annette, Ash, Ashely, Becky, Betsy, Cari, Carrie, Chaz, Collette, Dana, Danielle, Dawn, Erin, Gary, Genie, Hillary, Irene, Jan, Jason A. L., Jason G., Jeannette C., Jeannette M., Jennifer, Jessica, Jill, Jill H., Jill O.F., Joseph, JoyfulTxGal, Kathryn, Katie, Kelley K., Kelly F., Kimberly, Leslie, Lisa M., Lisa U., Luna, Marly, Mary, Mikala, Natalie, Nicole A.G., Nicole P., Paul, Retta, Sheila, Shelley. Sherill, Sherry, Stephanie, Steven, T Glass, Tazia, Tracey, Tracy, Whitney, and Yolanda.

Much love to all of the counselors at summer camp and teachers who inspired me throughout my life.

To all my animals including: Butterscotch Freeway, Georgie Porgie, Mama kitty, Hoppy, and Ellie.

E
nthusiastic, spunky, and positive, Punky Brewster was the quintessential eighties kid. Twenty-five years later, Soleil Moon Frye—the adorable girl who played her on TV—is all grown up. Today she is a married mom of two, an author, a momtrepreneur who parlayed her successful kids' clothing line into a partnership with Target, and a social media maven with over 1.4 million followers and counting.

According to Soleil, “happy chaos” is the sign of a family operating at its best—when parents accept that they'll make mistakes and will experience messes, tears, and skinned knees. Soleil currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Jason Goldberg, and two daughters, Poet and Jagger.