Year Eight. (& a Giveaway!) {CLOSED}
{Thank you all so much for entering the giveaway! The winner is commenter Beth Cook who said “I think the most memorable moment was my father moving into an assisted living home with hospice services. You just think your parents will be around for a long time to enjoy their retirement years and their grandchildren. It’s hard on my mom going back and forth despite him not really knowing when she’s been there or the last time she came. It’s hard emotionally and financially. This is NOT what they wanted to spend their retirement money on. My guilt is living three hours away. Close enough to visit, but far enough away to have to balance family life/plans.” Congrats Beth!}
This week marks my eighth year of blogging.
Which is totally insane. EIGHT YEARS?!
That’s almost ten years. Ten years is a decade. I still feel like I’m 17 so how on earth this has happened… I have no idea.
I wish that I had the words to tell you just how much I appreciate you being here and visiting the site. I know what it is like to read the same blog for eight years. You are only reading one voice. It gets repetitive and sometimes boring and it is a lot of the same thing, because it’s written by one person. I’ve come and gone and come back and re-fell in love with many of my favorite bloggers over the years. I can’t really offer you anything other than myself (okay and maybe a plethora of trashed up recipes) who might occasionally change or stay the same or repeat herself or still think that she’s 17 years old inside.
So it means the WORLD to me that you have stuck around, read these rambles, been so kind and wonderful and shared your own thoughts in our little community here. Means seriously everything to me. I actually think of you all as friends, my invisible but real BFFs.
I hope you can see that I (still!) do this because I 100% OMGloveitsomuch and even though it became my job a really long time ago, I do it as authentically as I can and because I love it and so I can share things with you in this wacky internet world.
To celebrate these eight years and frankly, to celebrate YOU who has given me the chance to do this for so long, I’m giving away a $1000 amazon gift card to one lucky reader. This giveaway is not sponsored and given by me to show my appreciation for you. Giveaway is open to everyone and anyone!
To ENTER:
- Leave a comment on this post telling me a memorable moment you’ve had so far in 2017.
- For an extra entry, I would love if you’d preorder a copy of The Pretty Dish and leave a second comment saying you did so. You can preorder the book on amazon, barnes and noble, indiebound or books a million! I cannot thank you guys enough for giving me the chance to write another book. If you’ve already preordered, THANK YOU SO MUCH and be sure to leave a comment telling me you did so. If you decide to preorder, this is just the first of many exciting things we’re giving away!
And who knows, maybe if the internet is around, I’ll be here in another eight years! xoxoxo
2,292 Comments on “Year Eight. (& a Giveaway!) {CLOSED}”
Being chosen for The futures managers group by my employer and going back to school to finish my degree.
Congratulation! My most memorable moment for 2017 so far has been having my mom relocate to my city and getting to see her much more often now.
I’ve been reading your blog since the beginning and can’t believe it has been 8 years already! Congrats! I’ve had so many fun moments this year, but one that will hold a special place in my heart is our trip to Tortola. We stayed in the best boutique hotel, which is now completely gone thanks to Hurricane Irma. My heart aches for the people of that lovely island and it makes our time there all the more special.
I have preordered your book! I’m counting down the months until it is in my hands.
Congrats! My best memory so far in 2017 has been my daughter’s 1 year birthday in April! It was amazing to watch her grow into toddlerhood.
My most memorable moment this year was celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary. It was low key and nostalgic and perfect!
Congrats on 8 years and the new book! I’ve been a huge fan of your blog. My most memorable moment in 2017 is the day my husband and I found our first home. After searching and searching, we finally found the one. We knew we had to get it when I walked into the kitchen and started crying haha. We’ve really enjoyed making it our own this year.
I will never get tired of your blog! Love it so much.
My most memorable moment of 2017 was the birth of my second son in June. :)
My most memorable moment this year has been my youngest turning 1 and my oldest starting preschool!
My most memorable moment of 2017 has been a tie between finding out I’m pregnant with my second daughter, and my almost 2 year old daughter saying “I like lamp!” after seeing a picture of a lamp in her book and then pointing to our real life lamp in the living room. Heart eyes for her baby ingeniousness!
My most memorable moment so far this year is seeing my 18 month old patient learn to crawl and clap.
I also pre-ordered your book – can’t wait to get it in March towards the end of my maternity leave! I’ll be cooking as much as I can at that point to handle going back to work!
My best memory so far of 2017 has been getting the news that we are pregnant with our second child! We went through many complications trying to get pregnant so we are SO excited that by the end of this year we will have another baby in the family!
A memorable moment I have had is getting to meet my very first niece.
First, congratulations! I have only been reading for about three years but it has been such a joy and I cherish the day I discovered this beautiful, inspiring site of yours! 2017 has already brought so many memorable moments but my favorite has probably been a recent Saturday spent with my husband, being spontaneous and gearing up for fall by buying all the scented hand soaps and candles. :) It’s the simple moments I love the most.
The most memorable moment of 2017 so far (in a positive way – there have definitely been some memorable moments of sadness) was finally selling our house! (and then yesterday putting in a contract on what will hopefully be our new house!)
Also, preordered! SO EXCITED!
I also already pre-ordered the new book! Can’t wait!
Happy blog anniversary and on the new book! The cover art is gorg!! My most memorable moment of 2017 was spending an amazing summer with my husband and kids. New home renovations had my husband working ALL of last summer so this summer was all about family time – blueberry picking, festivals, endless beach days, kite flying…the list on goes on and on. It was a great one :)
My most memorable moment was a trip to 6 national parks this summer! Love your blog! Been reading for almost 5 years!
Definitely my sister’s wedding in August! Got to see so many of my extended family members and spending time in my hometown was amazing!
Wow, I’ve had so many amazing moments this year, hard to pick one. I think I’ll have to go with booking our official honeymoon, which is to Thailand at the end of the year. We went on a short honeymoon immediately after our wedding last September, but this will be the real thing!
Congrats on the blog anniversary!
Hi! My momrnt is was watching the sunrise over Lake Superior before it started to downpour.
My favorite moment of 2017 so far is going to Cuba for the first time. Loved every minute of that trip.
My most memorable moment so far is that my daughter started middle school this year. She’s our only child and I still always call her “Baby”. Sometimes I can’t believe we’ve had her for almost 11 years. <3
My most memorable memory of 2017 so far was moving into my first house I bought :-)
Also pre-ordered your beautiful book. :)
CONGRATULATIONS!! 8 years is a huge accomplishment. I’ve been here for the past…four? Since before you had Max. Still loving your exuberance and really good recipes.
I’ve very recently had a memorable experience in 2017: I’m in the middle of a week off of work due to Hurricane Irma. Shockingly, with electricity, which is making the whole thing much better.
I just ate ice cream for breakfast because I’m an adult, so that’s a pretty memorable moment of 2017 for me
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
One of my most memorable moments so far in 2017 was during my trip to Colorado this past March. CO is one of my favorite states, and visiting between winter and spring led to some breathtaking views while hiking through Rocky Mountain National Park. Definitely a trip to remember!
I also preordered on Amazon!
Eight years……WOW !! Congrats ! Love your blog and your IG stuff and Eddie’s hilarious comments about Max on his IG, too. My most memorable of this year was our trip to Belize in June. It was incredible!
My favorite moment of 2017 so far was reuniting with my high school friends at a friend’s lake house!
I’d have to say the most memorable moment of 2017 was seeing my brother finally get married! :) I love making your recipes, looking forward to the new book!
This summer I got engaged in Ukraine (the country my parents are from). He proposed to me in the location my parents got married and learned Russian just for the proposal! As if that wasn’t enough, I also took a job and moved to Texas from NY a few weeks after the engagement (the fiancé had to quit his job to follow me–how supportive!). New job, new city, engagement, breadwinner all in the span of 2 months. The consistency of reading my favorite blogs and sticking my head in books have really carried me through the chaos of major life changes happening all at once.
Preordering now!
Jeez, I can’t believe it’s been 8 years! I still enjoy reading your blog, keep doing what you’re doing!!
My most memorable moment in 2017 is moving to a place I now consider a true home after living in a bunch of random apartments that never felt right. I couldn’t be happier!
Preordered!
Congratulations! I have been following you for all of those 8 years and love your recipes! My best memory of 2017 so far is when my husband and I celebrated our 31st wedding anniversary at an adorable bed and breakfast in the mountains of Virginia.
Congrats on 8 years! Quite an accomplishment. My most memorable time of 2017 so far was our vacation to Lake Shasta. Beautiful weather and great company made for a wonderful vacation!!
Good morning! My most memorable 2017 moment so far is celebrating my husband’s 50th bday – we’ve been together since age 21, when 50 seemed ANCIENT…but of course, now feels young enough, and normal…but still weird :)
My most memorable moment this year was seeing my grandson Jenson for the first time. He was 1 month old! Tears of joy.
Congratulations on eight years and here’s to many, many more! I love your blog and really enjoy your humor and realness.
My most memorable moment of 2017 has got to be the birth of my second daughter on New Year’s Day. Looking forward to reading all about your newest little babe and the adventures of Max as a big brother!
The most memorable moment of 2017 was when our youngest son got married in March. We have two sons. Now I have a daughter:)
8 years ?!? That’s means I’ve been reading this blog as long as I’ve lived in Boston!!
My most memorable moment from 2017 was the trip my bf I and just took to Italy. We ate all the pasta, and drank all the wine!! ;)
2017 Most Memorable Moment – meeting my great nephew for the first time ! He’s quite adorable :).
MY most memorable moment would be traveling to two new states (doubling the number of states I have ever been to) + going out of the country for the first time, it was surreal knowing I wasn’t in the U.S. anymore! Plus, it was the first big trip I’ve ever taken, and it was without my parents!
My husband and I bought some land together and we’re working on building our forever home. It’s a big year!
I preorder your book! I was SO excited to hear you wrote another one! I obsessively stalked Amazon for weeks and weeks after you announced it, and preordered it the minute I saw it, even before you announced that preorders were available!
My favorite moment of 2017 is coming up in 9 days…when I get married to the love of my life!!!
Love your blog! My most memorable moment in 2017 is that I turned 30 and found out I was pregnant with our first baby!