Archive for July 2014

Washington DC: I'll always call it home

While in D.C. over Spring Break in 1993, I attended a constituent breakfast with Senators Paul Simon and Carol Moseley Braun. This was one of the highlights of my life.
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... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
July 30, 2014 at 10:19 pm • 

Blogapalooz-Hour: Top 11 Tips for Success

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.... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
July 30, 2014 at 11:44 am • 

Sex Spreadsheets: Just Say NO!

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... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
July 25, 2014 at 12:07 pm • 
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Nana is gone, but she's not forgotten

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... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
July 11, 2014 at 3:34 pm • 

Call me Jessica

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... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
July 9, 2014 at 3:13 pm • 

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... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
July 8, 2014 at 9:30 pm • 
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Children and pets in hot cars: Name two things that will make me bust your car window

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... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
July 8, 2014 at 7:00 am • 

Happy Birthday America . . . and Betsey and Ross!

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... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
July 4, 2014 at 12:12 pm • 

A life of Triumph: How this wonderful car helped my family through our grief

The 1967 Triumph TR4A. I thought this was as close as I would every get to driving it.
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... Read more »
By Jessica Gardner,
July 2, 2014 at 6:29 pm • 
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    Jessica Gardner

    A native of Chicago's Northwest Suburbs and resident of the North Shore, Little Merry Sunshine comes by her name honestly. The story goes that as a child, she was always so happy that she even slept with a smile on her face. Her mom nicknamed her Little Merry Sunshine. It stuck, along with her insatiable desire to focus on the good in the world and to leave it a little better than she found it. She does this by sharing her passions and dreams, what inspires her, and maybe you too, and furthering the discussion about how we can listen to our better angels. You can reach her at LittleMerrySunshineCN[at]WowWay[dot]com.

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