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}”
Congratulations on your eight year milestone! My most memorable milestone (so far), this year, was leaving a job that had left me uninspired. I’m looking forward to a new job that will spark my soul once again!
I also preordered a copy of your book and I’m so excited for it!
Memorable moments so far include using the library to collect cookbooks that I can’t afford to buy all at once. I come home everyday to a stack of cookbooks to peruse in my living room, including Seriously Delish. A great way for me to unwind after work or after a big paper (for grad school). Thanks for all the recipes you share!
Most memorable moment for 2017: having my second child start kindergarten. It was a breath of fresh air to be able to drop him off and focus for five hours a day. Added bonus – he likes it!
Love your blog, I make your recipes alllllll the time! My most memorable moment of 2017 was traveling from Minnesota to Kentucky to watch the Total Solar Eclipse!
This is more than a single memorable moment, but 2017 has brought with it a bourgeoning closeness between my 4 year old daughter and my one year old son, and it’s so wonderful to witness!
I have already preordered a copy of your new cookbook! Can’t wait :).
one of my most memorable moments of 2017 was going to banff and jasper with my family!
Getting married for sure
2017 will be memorable me forever because it is the year I finally got engaged!! yay! My fiance and I live in New Orleans and he proposed in the middle of Mardi Gras. So fun!
Not gonna lie, getting my Instant Pot was a memorable event in 2017! It’s brought a breath of fresh air into my cooking routine and helped with the craziness of back to school while feeding everyone decent meals on a weeknight.
Sooo many congrats on your 8 years!!! It’s been a delight watching your business grow along with your family! I’d have to say for me, the most memorable moment so far this year was getting accepted into grad school (yikes!). Looking forward to what the rest of the year has in store for us all.
Love your book cover!!! I’d say the most memorable thing about 2017 was the birth of my son Zac!!!! 💙💙
taking a trip to Sweden! I think I’ve been reading your blog for about eight years, it’s been amazing to watch you grow. Congrats on all your success!
Love your blog! My most memorable moments would definitely be traveling around Europe for a month! So breathtaking!
My memorable moment was my 20th wedding anniversary!!! And I love your blog ❤️
I think the most memorable moment of this year was when our rainbow baby turned 1! We have 2 kiddos and lost 2 right before him, so his first birthday was a wonderful (bittersweet) memory this year!
And of course I already pre-ordered The Pretty Dish as well. YAY! And I love the cover choice :)
And I preordered your new book! LOVE the first one!
The most memorable moment for me this year was when my granddaughter Haley entered into high school. It seemed just like yesterday when I witnessed her coming into the world and held her newborn body in my arms for the first time. Gazing into the eyes of my child’s child made me deliriously happy beyond words. Birthing my son was such a phenomenal experience for me in my early years, nd now we stood together three generations of the same flesh and blood. Haley has been the light of my life and the joy of my heart in my elder years. My son and his wife have done an exceptional job in raising her up to be a gracious well-mannered, and well-rounded young lady, who is not only extremely bright but very talented in art, science, and as an equestrian training for Olympic competition. I am extremely grateful for the blessings of family in these hectic times we are living on earth today. Family is truly both a life-line and an anchor to navigate these unchartered waters. Cherish every moment of your time spent with family as your beloved and unparalleled opportunity to know your true self in pure love and thanksgiving.
I bought my first house, can’t wait for all the yummy recipes I’m going to make in my new kitchen with my three year old!
Most memorable moments of 2017…seeing our baby graduate from high school and seeing totality in Oregon (on our front porch)! What a lovely book cover. Blessings to you.
I pre-ordered your book and am so excited for it’s release. I love the first one!
Most memorable moment of 2017: taking family photos in Seattle at a lovely park. Turned out to be the last photos of my husband and I with my family.
Best moment this year by far is the birth of my twin grandsons! It’s amazing to me how different it is being a grandparent, being able to be inside the delivery room and watch their birth was awesome. My camera is filling up with pictures and videos of them, my heart is so full every time I see them!!!
This year has been a crazy one for memorable moments: TODAY is my Toddler’s 2nd birthday, so this is a huge one. Getting married (we did courthouse) and buying our current house and moving are probably my top moments.
Congratulations on eight years- it’s been great watching you evolve and change and become a mom. Best wishes for many more years of happy blogging.
Hi, Jessica! I have had many memorable moments, but I loved meeting you in NYC and enjoying a wonderful long weekend with my husband and meeting Lindsay Ostrom for the Pinch of Yum photography workshop in Minneapolis with a BLACK EYE! It’s been a great year and I love how our common love of food brings all sorts of people together!!! I love Seriously Delish and it was my pleasure to pre-order your new cookbook!!! I’m also signing up for Sweet Peas today!!!
Moving to a new city for my dream job!
going to Iceland and watching my boyfriend eat inadvertently eat rotten shark :)
most memorable moment was celebrating my parent’s milestone anniversary. it was just a great night!
My most memorable moment was this past weekend. We had a mandatory evacuation because of Hurricane Irma and scrambled to figure out what to save and what to leave behind. Yesterday, we were so blessed to return and have power and absolutely no damage to our home.
Buying our first house!!
Hi! I love your blog and recipes! The photos you take always make me save your recipes for later. Amazing.
The most memorable moment of 2017 so far was finding out I’m pregnant with baby #2! 😍
Moving to a new house!
Memorable moment from the year: Watching my kids grow and learn new things daily. We have a 2.5 year old and 1.5 year old so we don’t do too much traveling others things. My son started potty training himself so that was great!
Ordered!!!
making it through my son’s first year has definitely topped the 2017 list for us :) congrats on 8 years!
My most memorable moment this year was traveling to Spain and falling in love with the food, the people and the landscape!
My baby turned a year old in June! How that happened, I have no idea, since I’m pretty sure he was just born!
Congratulations!
My husband and I had the awesome opportunity to go see Sigur Rós in June, and it was an incredible experience. ♥
I preordered your book! I can’t wait for it!
During my most memorable week in 2017, I returned from an amazing trip to Tanzania where I took roughly 2 million pictures in the Serengeti & Ngorogoro Crater; we took in a 19-year old boy with no parental support but who really deserves a chance; and my mom had a stroke (she’s okay!) & we all took a step back to count our blessings. It was a stressful week but ultimately all good things. Cheers to the rest of 2017!
Memorable moment: Attending my Father-in-law’s 90th birthday celebration in Toronto. My husband’s family is from Canada but they all live all over the world (here in VA, Greece, Tanzania, Bangkok, Thailand, Montreal, MD, you name it); so it was great for everyone to be together for his special day. YAY!!
There’s a reason you’re still at it after 8 years. You’re incredibly talented! Thank you for the continued inspiration!
A memorable moment for me this year has been remodeling a little house with my boyfriend. Lots of work, but fun!
Your blog is my favorite and go to. Memorable moment in 2017 was our recent trip to Rocky Mountain National Park with our kiddos. Alluvial fan and Emerald Lake are the best!
I also preordered the Pretty Dish
Can’t wait to get it!
I moved back to the USA after living in China for 3+ years!
I love your blog – Tuesday Things and Currently Crushing On…are two highlights of my week! Memorably moment – getting my 200 hr teaching certification and starting to teach yoga.
Solo hiking trip in New Mexico and West Texas that led to amazing food and ultimately a completely new path in life… AND making your bacon fried green tomato BLTs last week. Tie game!
Congrats on 8 years! I think that I have been with you for about 4. Thank you for your daily dose of positivity and beautiful things! I love your style and love watching your family grow.
My most memorable moment of this year was my wedding day in February!
And, I’ve already pre-ordered your book. Can’t wait to receive it!