Tag: CNBlogapalooza
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If I could do it all over again, I’d have become a lawyer
Yesterday a friend of mine posted on Facebook about that it had been 19 years since Princess Diana was killed. Nineteen years I thought. Where have those years gone? The night of Princess Diana’s death began like many Saturday nights that summer: I was at home in my Alexandria, Virginia apartment studying for the LSAT,…
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What happened to my BFF Mary?
When we moved to Arlington Heights from Ft. Myers, Florida, in 1975, one of the biggest perks was that our block was filled with kids my age. There was Kenny and Judy next door; Kerrie and her younger brother across the street; Amy and her 3 siblings on the corner; Greg across the street; a…
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8 tips for handling adult temper tantrums
Every so often we all lose our tempers. For whatever reason, we’ve had enough of being the bug smashed on the windshield of life and try as we might, we blow up. And every so often, we’re on the receiving end of someone else losing their stuff and exploding uncontrollably. If we’re not careful, when…
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New Holiday: Walk a Mile in Someone Else’s Shoes Day
In September 2013, as part of my personal challenge to have 100 new experiences, I created a holiday, International Stay In Bed and Read a Book Day. As you can imagine, it’s become very popular and is celebrated worldwide. Fourteen months later, I’ve decided that it’s time for another new holiday. Therefore, I hereby declare…
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Piano lessons: Although I quit them 32 years ago, I wish I still played
When I was 5 or 6 years old, my parents made me take piano lessons. The key phrase there is “made me.” Music lessons were not optional in my house. Properly raised children played the piano. Period. My mom had grown up taking piano lessons from my step-grandfather’s first wife (before she passed away) and my…
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Washington DC: I’ll always call it home
In the Spring of 1993, when most of my friends were headed to sandy beaches during Spring Break of our senior year of college, I hopped on a plane and jetted off to Washington DC where I hoped to land a job. I knew no one, had no connections or “ins,” and this was before…
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Blogapalooz-Hour: Top 11 Tips for Success
Blogapalooz-Hour: One hour each month when the bloggers of ChicagoNow blog about the same topic sent out at exactly 9:00 p.m. CT by Community Managers, Jimmy Greenfield or Shavon Banket. (Ed. note: That’s the wrong Jimmy Greenfield. ChicagoNow‘s Jimmy is not related to that James Greenfield. Find the right one here.) Bloggers hit publish at 10:00 p.m.…
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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…
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We never met, but my grandfather, Jesse Paulk, shaped my life
If I could meet anyone in the world, I’d choose to go back to before September 12, 1961 and meet my maternal grandfather, Jesse Paulk. September 12, 1961 was my mom’s 13th birthday and also the day my grandfather died. I was given my name, Jessica, in his memory. My mom’s brother also named his…
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Watervale – My Slice of Heaven
Every summer for as long as I can remember, my family has vacationed at a resort in Northern Iowa Michigan called Watervale. Watervale is a third-generation family owned resort that began as a logging town in the 1800s. The Kraft family purchased the abandoned town in 1917. My family ties don’t go back quite that…
Jessica L Gardner 