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}”
My most memorable moment of 2017 was having the opportunity to see a lot of our friends (we’re scattered across the US) at a wedding in Canada this summer. Those get together are so important!
I can’t wait for you new cookbook! I love Seriously Delish. Definitely pre-ordered a copy of The Pretty Dish and can’t wait!!!
I have been reading your blog forever and so many of your recipes are regulars in our home! My most memorable moment of 2017, so far, is starting a new job that I love!! Good luck with your book! And new babe!
Congratulations! You should be so proud of yourself, not only for creating AMAZING trashed up recipes but also for balancing your blog with life, babies and husband! By far my most memorable moment of 2017 is finding out that I am pregnant with twins – 2 BOYS – after 4 years of trying! I’ve been referring back to your ‘fav things’ lists with Max and hope you’ll continue those with baby #2. Thanks Jess!
Congrats! Ive been following you forever and have recommended many of your delicious recipes :)
My most memorable moment was the FAST birth of my second child, a girl, in March.
I am expecting my first child this year! Seeing the positive test was mind-blowing. Loving your blog and looking forward to what the next several years bring for you and your family (and our babies!).
Most memorable moment was going on a trip with my husband this year! And congratulations on eight years!
My favorite memory of 2017 has been starting college to study nutrition, and realizing that I love what I’m learning!
And that my utter love of food definitely helps with that.
Starting a home renovation. Awesome thing while also terrifying and overwhelming all at the same time. Fingers crossed it stays in 2017 though. I’d like to cook again one day :)
Congrats! You have been my favorite food blogger for years. Memorable moment this year? Getting back into the racing game and PRing a half marathon!
Hello. I have to say my most memorable moment came this past Sunday night. I live in Pinellas County in Florida. At one point Hurricane Irma was supposed to hit us directly. My husband and I had made the decision to stay and ride out the storm. We weren’t in danger of flooding or storm surges and our house is built very well. We did not take any of it lightly and took as many precautions as we could, bringing everything inside, boarding windows, etc. The storm was supposed to be at its worst in our area between 10PM and 3AM. We went to bed about 10:30 Sunday night and was woken up at 11:30PM by very loud popping and sparks coming from the ceiling fan DIRECTLY ABOVE OUR BED!!! The motor to the fan looked like it was trying to catch fire and the fan started spinning wildly out of control. It finally quit after several scary minutes, but not before filling the room with electrical burning smell. :( My husband poked his head into the attic to make sure there wasn’t a fire (there wasn’t). The wind was hitting the shutters in the attic making it sound like a demon was living in the attic. You could also hear the main breaker box making all kinds of noises. My husband went outside to see if he could safely throw the main breaker (the breaker box is on the side of the house) but it was sparking too much for him to get close (plus 100MPH winds). The next morning when it was safe, we threw the main breaker to the house and began assessing damage. A tree fell on the power line to our house and pulled out the neutral allowing our house to get as much power as it ever wanted. Thankfully we only lost the ceiling fan, two light bulbs, and a ceiling light (the bulbs are integrated into the unit so the whole thing has to be replaced). All things considered, it could have been A LOT worse. We thought our fridge had been fried because it was making weird noises, but once it was on stable power it came right back to life. We are very lucky. I suspect that will be the most memorable thing that happens this year! LOL
On a side note, congratulations on your 8 year blogaversary! I love your posts and recipes. :)
Haha my most memorable moment this year was when my son was running around playing and accidentally slammed our cats tail in the door and broke it. When I went to rescue him from the door, he attacked me out of fear. Yes we still have the cat, and he’s fine, but his tail will always be crooked now. I already preordered your book! I can’t wait to get it?
Jessica- we have the same name and I have followed your blog for years. Adore you, love reading your blog (its like I’m reading my own voice/thoughts!) and your first cookbook is my treasure; can’t wait for the new one! I was lucky enough to meet you and have you sign my copy of your first book.
My memorable moment from 2017 was when my husband came back from 6 weeks away (army rotation training) and surprised our 2 year old son upon his return. ❤️
Congratulations and thank you for all the wonderful posts and recipes! My most memorable 2017 moment has been living in another country–an incredible experience.
My most memorable moment of 2017 was a family vacation in the mountains. We will all treasure those memories. I enjoy your blog. Congrats on 8 years!
I love your website, your recipes, and especially your monthly beauty round ups! The one day of 2017 that I’ll never forget is April 23. I suffered a mild heart attack while shopping at Kroger which required one stent. IN THe aftermath I lost 15 pounds and have been much more cognizant of what I eat.
Jessica! Where has 8 years gone? Your blog was the inspiration for me to start my own blog a few years ago and I have made so many new friends because of it, so thank you. 2017 has been the best year of my family’s life this far as we just welcomed our first child, our son last month on August 7. I wouldn’t trade in the late nights and dozens of diaper changes a day for anything,though an Amazon gift card would help with the expenses 😉. Congrats on another amazing year for your family as well. Thank you for being you and staying true to your content!
I also pre ordered your new book the day it was available, fan girling over here to the max!
And just pre-ordered The Pretty Dish on amazon. Yay for prime shipping! ☺️☺️☺️
My most memorable moment of the year was recently when my five year old made a sarcastic comment…I mean i didn’t even know 5 year olds got sarcasm!!! She asked if I wanted to watch a movie and when I said “not right now i’m shopping” she mockingly replied with “I’m shocked to my VERY CORE!”. Sometimes they just grow up and you don’t even realize what funny little individuals they have become. :) <3
Congrats! You’ve been my favorite blog for years.
My best moment off 2017 was on our sailing trip to the BVI in June. Pulling the boat up to Sandy Spit and seeing the most beautifully beach and water I’ve ever seen.
Cliche… ;-) but, having our first baby (it was a girl!!) in January 2017. Things haven’t been the same since and it is definitely a new adventure everyday. I always wanted to thank you because all your baby posts about Max, especially the great advice on what to buy and your favorite baby things, have helped us out tremendously!! Thank you for all you do! I can’t wait for the new book!
Congrats on 8 years! Always enjoy both your voice and recipes and am looking forward to the new cookbook. A great memorable moment this year has been being matron of honor in my middle sister’s wedding. Three cheers for love! (And wedding cake!)
Oh gosh so many favorites! I always look forward to your monthly favorites. Many of your recipes have become family staples for us. I think my favorite was how you announced your pregnancy with Max with the sparklers. Super fun ;)
I pre-ordered The Pretty Dish on Amazon. I’m positive you won’t come to my tiny town, but maybe you’ll be in a nearby city on your book tour and I can come ;)
My most memorable moment was my trip to Charleston this May. A great food city!
I translated a book in 2017, that’s probably my most memorable moment so far. It took longer than a moment though.
I pre-ordered The Pretty Dish, can’t wait for it to arrive! :)
Congratulations, you’re almost a tween! : ) I’ve been with you for years and love your authentic self just sharing things you like with us. I found Tracy Shutterbean through you and love her too.
A memorable moment for me in 2017 was definitely riding through the Sleeping Bear Dunes bike trails with my family this summer. Everyone is finally old enough to do it! The next time you come up to Charlevoix you must take the fam over there (if you haven’t already) – truly one of the most beautiful views of Lake Michigan I’ve ever seen.
Cheers to you and another 8!
My most memorable thing I did this year was go to Gatlinburg, TN I love the mountains it is so peaceful.
I started managing a new winery! I love finally being with a company I feel like I can grow with. AND I played with baby goats last week which was even MORE memorable :)
I idolize you! In my mind we are friends and I am secretly the only one who gets your recipes. Every female in my life has received a copy of Delish from me and I preordered the new book as soon as I knew that was a thing! The first recipe I ever made of yours was a brown butter chocolate chip cookie that was half chocolate chip and half double chocolate chip, I think that was 5 or 6 Christmases ago. My most memorable memory of 2017 was flying to Ft Lauderdale en route to Havana and learning that my flight to Havana was canceled. I had the best night ever “stuck” in Ft Lauderdale with my bestie.
Preordered Pretty Dish! SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO STOKED!
I moved back to Denver and it’s definitely been the most memorable thing! It’s hard sometimes but was the right move! Congrats on 8 years! I’ve been around for quite a few of them and use your website almost like google when I’m in the mood for a new recipe!
Most memorable day of 2017: Roadtripping to Canada with my husband and sister-in-law to visit Banff Nat’l Park, Lake Louise, Morraine Lake and a few others.. It was beyond gorgeous despite the chilly weather, we still got to see so much. I wish I lived in the mountains!
I guess I would say my memorable moment this year was learning that the store where I work is closing and I will be losing my job at the end of next month. Womp womp. Well, life goes on I guess. Congrats on the book!
My most memorable moment of 2017 was seeing the joy in my husband’s face the minute I gave birth to my son! The anticipation of his arrival culminated in that one single look from my husband and made everything worth it!
P.S. I pre-ordered already! So excited!
Congratulations! I love reading your blog and I’m sure I’m old enough to be your Grandma! Young voices are so important. My memorable moments are visits from my out of state grandkids and just day to day with the “hubs”.
Congratulations! I find your ramblings to be quite hilarious. Unfortunately I’m going to be a Debbie Downer and say I lost a very dear friend to me this year. We both passionately loved food and cooking and know I’ve sent or mentioned some of your recipes to her. Cheers to 8 more years!! And many more. Also, congratulations on baby #2 :)
My most memorable day of 2017 was my daughter’s first birthday just 2 weeks ago. Time flies! Congrats on 8 years!
My most memorable moments for this year revolve around our family trip to Colorado. It was absolutely magical watching my littles explore all of the different areas and things that we visited.
That’s awesome! Moment of the year is just making a job change with he opportunity to go to school for free!! Keep doing what you are doin!!!
Wow, I have been following you for years! I actually don’t now where I found you from, but I’m happy I did. I love all your posts; food, travel experiences, make-up (which hugely expanded my facial care routine) and of course your cute little guy! This has been a crazy busy year for my family! We started it off by flying to Boston from Las Vegas for a whirl-wind weekend to attend a New England Patriot game! Followed by a visit to Dallas – stopping by Magnolia Farms in Waco, TX. My family and sister’s family met up in Washington DC for a couple days then AmTrak’ed it to NYC for a few more days – all of which was a first for all of us. We’re heading to Albuquerque next month for their annual balloon festival and if I can swing it :), plan on going to Denver in November for the Bronco/Patriot game. AND my teen aged daughters bargained with me and their dad to forgo Christmas presents and go to Disneyland during Christmas. Whew! – BTW, your new cookbook has been pre-ordered by me for several weeks now and can’t wait to get my hands on it!! Take care and secretly wishing Max is getting a little sister, because girls rule!
My most memorable moment(s) were the two short treks my husband and I did. We took a weekend and hiked a section of the Long Trail and then did a week long canoe trip with his brother and dad in Maine! Hooray for the outdoors! :D Congratulations on 8 years and your 2nd book!
Congrats on 8 years, and cheers to many more! Really enjoy your daily posts AND Instagram! My most memorable moment of 2017 was receiving my Private Investigators License and starting a new career as a, um, ‘mature’ woman!
My memorable moment (so far!) of this year, is our trip to Las Vegas in March. Belated 25th anniversary trip, and celebrating my husband’s new lease on life after 2 major surgeries. :)
Macarons in Paris this past May definitely makes the short list of most memorable moments. My oven died just a few days ago and I’m replacing it with a convection oven so I can make macarons whenever I want!
I started following you in 2010 and I am so grateful that I did! You’ve helped me to put many memorable meals on our dinner table. Thank you!! I will be preordering your cookbook ASAP!
I can’t believe it’s been 8 years! I’ve been reading your blog for 7 of those years and your stories still make me laugh and your recepies still inspire me. A lot of my annual Christmas baking list is your treats, including the white chocolate lemon truffles, chcocolate chip cookie dough truffles, chai snickerdoodles, and many more!
My most memorable moment of the year so far was a vacation to the Okanagan wine country. 4 days of sunshine and wine was the perfect way to kick off summer!
Congrats on the new book!
I’ve almost never missed a post since I started following. Your pineapple bacon goat cheese guacamole changed my life. So far, the most memorable moment of 2017 has been getting to see my parents after almost two years apart–they live overseas.