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}”
the surprise of finding out we’re having our 5th child was a memorable moment, due any day now!
Finding out that my husband and I would be outnumbered by our kids by the end of the year!
After having an ectopic pregnancy earlier this year it would def be when we found out we were pregnant again with a healthy baby in the right spot in May! This is our second son and we are so grateful and excited for what is to come in January 2018! :)
My memorable moment of 2017 was attending my friend’s wedding with my husband (weekend getaway)!
Glad you are still blogging for us all! You have the best posts! Most memorable moment for 2017 so far has been a 30th birthday girls trip to Austin.
Thank you so much for blogging! Your recipes always get compliments when I take a dish to parities, and my husband and I always tell people that you’ve never steered us wrong. One memorable moment this year was going to Olympic National Park with my husband and 2 kids. It was beautiful and refreshing to get outdoors and have some family time.
Congratulations and thanks for continuously writing such a great blog! I wish you all the success.
My most memorable moment of 2017 so far was an amazing trip to Seattle – specifically an unbelievable dinner at Walrus and the Carpenter.
My most memorable moment this year (so far) was finding out I was pregnant! This will soon be surpassed when I meet my little babe in a few short weeks!
Cabin trip with my family was probably the highlight so far. I love love love traveling so I wasn’t excited about a cabin in the middle of nowhere but boating, food, wine and games + family always means a good time!
Memorable moment 2017: watching my parents when my brother and his wife told everyone that they are having a baby boy.
I usually don’t have a good answer for stuff like this but today I do!!! My boyfriend and I just got engaged on August 19th! :)
WOW EIGHT YEARS WHAT THE HECK. I can still remember stumbling upon this blog back in 2010 and falling in love…..with it and the food blogging world as a whole. Thanks for putting your heart and soul into this site for so long! I’ve loved getting to tag along!
2017 has been a whirlwind…and how are we looking to the tail end of it already?! I’d have to say the thing that sticks out most to me is traveling to San Fransisco with my brother in July and seeing the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time. I’ve seen it in movies and pictures my whole life, but WOW. Nothing compares! We stayed at Chrissy Field just staring at it for almost an hour. California in general was just so warm and welcoming and beautiful!
I preordered the book on Amazon and can’t wait to get it!
Love your blog! The most memorable moment for me in 2017 is the birth of my son! He was born in January and is such a sweet baby!
My memorable moment was our Maine trip as a whole family – my husband and I, my brother and his girlfriend, and my parents all met up there for a week!
It is hard to pick just one memorable moment as this year has been filled with many for me, but I’d have to say my most memorable moment is the moment my boyfriend and I bought our first house together. That was actually just two weeks ago. and we’re still reeling.
My most memorable moment this year would be leaving my full time career to be at home with my two little girls!!! Congratulations on 8 years – that is so awesome!!!
Congrats on 8 years of blogging! My memorable moment of 2017 was getting married. :)
My most memorable moment so for for 2017 was the birth of my 3rd (and last) baby in April!
I received a promotion in May that I had been hoping for. That is my most memorable moment of 2017.
I completed my first triathlon last month!! I also just pre-ordered on Amazon. Love your blog (the combo of food and beauty finds makes my life) , love your first cookbook! Keep being you!
Wow!! Eight years of blogging that is INCREDIBLE! And not to mention your blog is AMAZING! I love love love it! My memorable moment so far this year was my Cross Country team starting a bible study!
I got married on Sunday, September 3. That takes the cake so far!!
The most memorable even that has occurred in 2017 was the birth of my nephew by my younger sister. She has had difficulties carrying a baby to term in the past so the birth of this little human is such a blessing to our entire family. ❤️
I am going through a divorce and my best friend was killed in a car accident last year…so this year has been all about rebuilding and finding my strength after so much loss. This past weekend was my best moment of 2017. I went to the zoo just me and my 2 year old daughter. We had a blast. And I was fully present and felt JOY for the first time in so long. God is so good and merciful and I am so thankful that He has given me joy instead of mourning and he is bringing me out of the dark season I have been in.
And I obviously pre-ordered your book!
I love your blog!! Thanks for all the great recipes!my memorable 2017 moment was seeing my son take his first steps !
Thank you so much for providing awesome content and being so genuine! I fell in love with the blog in 2010/11. It was your cookie dough dip recipe! *so* good. Love you, Jess.
Favorite Memory of 2017 is finding out my husband and I were expecting:) I kid you not. I went back and read all of your posts about your pregnancy with Max. and then finding out you and your little fam were expecting again too!
My most memorable moment of 2017 was buying our first home with my fiance! There have been mostly ups a couple downs but really an impactful and wonderful experience with my best friend xo
Congrats on 8 years! I love your recipes and am so excited for the new cookbook!
My most memorable moment of 2017 so far? Hmmm…. Is it cheating to say it’s still coming? My husband and I are headed to Puerto Rico next month and I have high hopes for that trip!
I got engaged in March :)
My most memorable moment so far is having my youngest son say a word. He has a speech delay so hearing him say his first word was very important and a cry worthy moment for us.
Congrats on 8 years! My most memorable moment was getting a new puppy!!
Leah
Eight years of blogging – AWESOME! My most memorable moment so far for 2017 – no longer having a kiddo in grade school! All 3 of my kiddo’s are now middle school or high school.
My favorite memory so far: kite flying with my daughter on the coast of Rhode Island. The look on her face was priceless.
I’ve been reading your blog since 2009, your blog is really what got me into cooking! I remember the first recipe I ever made was your gorgonzola smothered chicken with pancetta and I’ve been coming back ever since! My most memorable moment this year would probably be my sisters wedding a few months ago, it was the most perfect day!
Maybe not my favorite, but very special moment was watching my mother get her last drain out after her mastectomy and reconstruction surgery. These surgeries aren’t pretty and have brought out her most vulnerable self. I’m posting it as a special memory becuase it was just that – so very vulnerable and i think it brought us closer together. My mother is my best friend and such a fighter. I couldn’t be prouder
You are awesome and I admire your creativity to be able to sustain a blog for so long! My most memorable moment was getting hitched this year ;0)
It’s my first year with all my babies in school all day. It’s the bestworst.
My most memorable moment of 2017 was going to the Cape with my whole family for a week. So that’s not really one moment, but lots of memorable moments!
Going to my grandpa’s burial at Arlington in DC in August. Not a purely happy memory, but certainly memorable. I will never forget it.
And, I preordered :) Can’t wait to get it!
Well, being in Southeast Texas with Harvey bearing down on us was pretty memorable…but I’ll go with watching whales off the coast of Alaska. That was amazing.
Congrats on 8 years! I think I’ve been reading for most of them. I used your “chewy chocolate chip cookie bottomed vanilla cupcakes” recipe to make cupcakes for my wedding in 2013! Wow, time does fly. As for 2017, I think my most memorable moment was my 30th birthday. My husband threw a big party in the mountains and I was surrounded by my closest friends. Cheers!
My most memorable moment of 2017 was having my baby girl! She’s just the sweetest little thing and the perfect addition to our family. I can’t imagine life without her and she’s only been here for 3 weeks!
Thank you for everything you do! I’ve loved your blog for several years and so enjoyed every recipe I’ve tried and watching your family grow!
My most memorable moment of the year (so far) was a family vacation to Maine earlier this summer! It’s been a while since we’ve all been able to take a trip together, and it was so much fun.
And I preordered! Very excited, I love Seriously Delish.
My memorable moment was a pie tour with friends!
I’m lucky to have so many! The other night my toddler wore his superhero cape, super hero “glasses” and we climbed into my lap to read “Llama llama red pajama”. It brought me to tears that I hope I’ll always remember these precious moments as he continues to get bigger. Seriously, stop growing little ones!
launching my blog..:). Good luck for your book!!