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Have a Good Day!

Earlier this week I went to pump gas and all I had was cash so I had to go into the store to pay. The young man behind the counter was polite and the transaction was quick. Because I was fresh from work I ended the short conversation by saying "Have a good day!" in my best customer service voice and his response was "Alright." It struck me as odd, mostly because his inflection was of someone being given directions and agreeing to follow them in a half hearted and resigned way. Maybe no one else told him to have a good day so he hadn't thought about it, and then he felt like he should just because I told him to with such enthusiasm. Does it make your day in any way if someone tells you, "Have a good day!" Is it an annoyance, or do you even notice those little polite sayings when you are busily running through your day?

It’s Time to Give 2017 the Boot!

I know it is cliché, but I have to do it. A New Year’s post. Time slips by quicker every year. A year is nothing anymore. Plans fly away on pieces of paper, never completed. Days and weeks fly by and my kids grow and the opportunity to “Raise” them flies right out the window. Work turns into life and weekends are for rest instead of fun. But as I look back on the year, there were some pretty cool things going on in life. We started off the year on wobbly legs feeling some growing pains within our family. And that is a large suitcase to unpack. So, we will leave that alone. I took Kayla, Christa and Jonathan to see their favorite comedian, Chris D’elia in San Francisco and we had a fun adventure walking and then taking an Uber around the area. We also sat in the front row and drank root beer floats. It was awesome. Abby turned 9 and I took her to the American Girl store for her birthday and we spent forever walking around trying to decide what she wanted to get, and we got he

A Book Review: The Rules of Magic, by Alice Hoffman

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I picked up this audio book because it was Reese Witherspoon's Book Club selection for the month. I didn't realize it was a prequel to Practical Magic until I was ready to click "order," and I could not have been more excited to read it. I LOVE that movie. So much so that I had everyone in my wedding walk out to a song from the soundtrack for that movie. I love that my niece is named Jillian because of that movie. (I mean I love it because of that, not that she was named that because of the movie....or was she? little Jillybean!) That movie was where I discovered Joni Mitchell and Stevie Nicks.. Talk about a great soundtrack! All of this to say, I was thrilled about this book. Practical Magic follows the lives of Gillian and Sally Owens and The Rules of Magic gives us more Owens family history with a look into the early lives of the Aunts that raise Gillian and Sally after their parents fall victim to the Owens curse. Most of this review is based on the assumpti

HOLLYWOOD - The American Nightmare

I have so much to say, I hope I can organize my thoughts here into something that makes a little bit of sense. Keep in mind this is not a news blog, this is an opinion blog. So, what I have to say is based on what I have heard, and how it has made me feel. For me this storm of debauchery began with the #metoo campaign. Watching all of the women I know pour out their experiences to support each other and put it out there that we are not alone. I appreciate all of you in your bravery and openness. The many allegations against Harvey Weinstein became the focus shortly after that, letting us know that even celebrities are not exempt from the shit we all have to go through as women. We also saw that it takes a lot of women standing together to be taken seriously and if you are not the "right type" of woman, you might as well keep it to yourself until someone more reputable shines a light on the asshole who hurt you. The Courtney Loves and Rose McGowans of the industry were not

The Fall of Santa Claus: When Your Kids Age Out of Your Favorite Traditions

The time has come. The end is near. Your days are numbered Mr. Claus. I have one rule in my home about the holidays: "If you do not  believe , you do not receive! " This rule came about because of the age differences in our kids. With the oldest being 25 and the youngest not quite ten, I had to figure out how to save the spirit of our Holidays for the younger kids.  I have been pleasantly surprised with the adhesiveness of this rule. My kids may have doubted the existence of the man in red on more than one occasion, only for their beliefs to be bolstered by their older siblings. There's something about seeing your 16 year old sisters excitedly clamor for their chance to have their picture taken with the big man at your traditional "Breakfast with Santa" that nullifies the nagging doubt that the little brats in class stuck in your head. But alas, the illusion can only last for so long, no matter how hard your Mom shoves the mythical man's existenc

An Update on Quitting Smoking

It has been 1 year 10 months and 5 days since my last cigarette and 3 days since the last time I had one in a dream. I do not crave them anymore, but I do miss the break from life that they provided at times. Maybe that's a lie. I do crave them when it is cold and raining, but I don't actually want one, I just love the feeling of blowing the smoke into the cool moist air and how it hangs there longer and seems like so much more than it is because your breath is also visible on days like that. But, those days also trap the smell in your clothes and amplify it when you return to the warm dry indoors. I hate the smell of them. Which is hard when my husband still smokes. It's a little unreasonable to ask him to brush his teeth, wash his face and hands and change his clothes every time he comes back inside from smoking, so I just deal with it as best I can. I can immediately tell if a person smokes when they walk past me in the store, or walk up to my counter at work. You can&

Let's Go Over the Changes, Shall We?

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This photo has nothing to do with this post, it's just pretty! You may have noticed a title change to the blog as well as a URL change. I tried to get everything to match, but someone else holds the URL I wanted for the direct link to my blog. so https:www.jessicathinksblog.blogspot.com it is! But, you can get here by typing in www.jessicathinks.com which is pretty cool. I'm attempting to post more, because I feel that I need a project or a goal in order to keep myself occupied.  I think that we all come to a point in our lives where the number of people who care what we think or what we have to say takes a sudden hit and whether we want to admit it or not, our opinions need validation, or at the very least open reception. Being heard is a basic human need. There is a reason why spiritual peoples who give up human comforts often times give up speaking. They are forced into keeping all thoughts to themselves, which probably enhances the idea that they are communing