Author: Jessica L Gardner
-
Sex Spreadsheets: Just Say NO!
By now you’ve heard or seen the story about the irritated husband who sent his wife a sex spreadsheet tracking all the times he’d tried to have sex with her over a seven week period and all of her excuses. In all, they had sex three times in seven weeks when the husband tried to…
-
Nana is gone, but she’s not forgotten
Five years ago tomorrow, on July 12, 2009, I received the phone call that I knew was coming, but was tough to receive nonetheless. Nana had passed away. Of course, I knew it was inevitable and would be happening within days, but I really hoped she’d make it to her 93rd birthday six days later…
-
Call me Jessica
My name is Jessica. More specifically, my name is Jessica Lynn Gardner. I was given my first name in memory of my late grandfather, Jesse. We never met because he died on my mom’s 13th birthday. Lynn, my middle name, is the first name of my mom’s best friend from college. They were roommates for…
-
Kickstarter potato salad campaign: Crazy or brilliant?
You’ve heard about that dude who created a Kickstarter potato salad campaign in hopes that he could raise $10. That’s right. When Zak Danger Brown start-up entrepreneur of Columbus, Ohio, hit that lofty goal, he said he’d make some potato salad. POTATO SALAD. The guy said he’s toss some boiled potatoes together in a tangy…
-
Children and pets in hot cars: Name two things that will make me bust your car window
By now you’ve undoubtedly heard the tragic story about the Georgia dad, Justin Ross Harris, whose son recently died when Justin Ross Harris left the child in his car while he was at work. This story breaks my heart and reminds me of an incident from the Summer of 2012 involving a dog left in…
-
Happy Birthday America . . . and Betsey and Ross!
Like many of you, I will be celebrating all of the freedoms our ancestors fought for some 238 years ago. This post isn’t about America because High Gloss and Sauce has that covered. Go read her post. I’ll be right here. Seriously, she’s awesome and her blog is super witty. I’ve got a big girl…
-
A life of Triumph: How this wonderful car helped my family through our grief
My late Uncle Ray loved cars. Well, that’s not quite accurate. He loved Triumph cars. In my entire life, I don’t think there was ever a time he didn’t own at least one. The stories of Uncle Ray and his Triumphs were the stuff of legends. Restoring Triumph cars was one of the many ways…
-
Love letter to my tears
June is almost over. And thank goodness for that. Between the five weeks my mom was in the hospital and one week in a rehab facility, my 43rd birthday, and the sudden and unexpected death of my favorite uncle, it’s been a month I’m eager to see come to a close. That, of course, is…
-
Q&A with a ChicagoNow blogger: Kathy Mordini of Raining Cats and Dogs
One of my favorite ChicagoNow bloggers is Kathy Mordini who writes Raining Cats and Dogs. Kathy loves animals and it brings her much agony to imagine cats and dogs being abused, living shortened lives in kill shelters, and being bred in the horrible puppy mill conditions. Through her blog, Kathy has increased awareness of these…
-
A Life That’s Good – Official Little Merry Sunshine Theme Song
In early March, I wrote a post titled “What’s Your Theme Song?” I’d been thinking about creating a theme song for Little Merry Sunshine and for me because ChicagoNow Community Manager, Jimmy Greenfield, posted the question on Facebook. In that post, I toyed around with the idea of A Bushel and a Peck because Nana…
Jessica L Gardner 