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}”
I adopted a cat I found on the street.Â
Planning a trip to Italy and getting a new job :)
Congrats on 8 years! I just started roller derby, which is scary and exciting all at the same time. :)
My memorable moment of 2017 is surviving Hurricane Irma!
We decided to take a family trip to Ireland! Thanks!
Congrats on all the hard work! Working on my new business.
A memorable moment has been transitioning my diet to mostly lorganic! (almost all!) It’s been great so far.
We had an amazing family trip to Ireland. Â Climbing to the top of Skellig Michael was my most memorable moment of the year.
2017, gros problème de santé pour moi, une année à oublier !
Watching my husband graduate from law school :)
I went low carb this year, and have managed to stick to it (for the most part).
Vacation in the mountains.
The most significant thing so far for me in 2017 is learning that my older sister may have a chance at a liver transplant. She just has to get her blood count and platelet count up enough and we will get her to Pittsburgh. We are in constant prayer for her to get on the list .
Meeting my nephew the day he was born.
My most memorable moment this year was going on a cruise.
Finding out I’m pregnant
Most memorable moment is traveling to Costa Rica.
Most memorable moment would be going on a road trip with my whole family up north to, the view on the sea to sky highway was spectacular. I enjoyed the whole trip.
Just regular family trips close by – thats about the only memorable thing that has really happened this year. Thanks for the chance to win.
going to vication
My best moments of 2017 have been quiet ones spent with my children at the beach.
The best moment in 2017 was seeing how excited my 11 yo was to start middle school. 5 weeks in and she still loves it every day. As a parent, I couldn’t ask for anything more than a child who loves school and everything that comes with it.Â
My most memorable moment in 2017, was when my husband flew us to Brisbane & the Gold Coast, Australia, return business class(!!!) for our 40th Wedding Anniversary. I have a serious chronic back injury and it was so special, because I would not have been able to fly that far a distance otherwise.
I moved b ack to my old home town
Congratulations on 8 years! This summer was so hot and so many fires. Most days I couldn’t see across the street except through a smoky haze. This will be my memory of the summer of 2017.
Oh my goodness!!! I cannot believe it has been eight years already! I remember when I first started reading this blog like it was yesterday lol (cliché, I know haha). I hope you are around for the next eight years I am so excited to read more of your amazing content! Happy 8 year blogging anniversary :D!!!!!!!
My most memorable moment from 2017 was FINALLY getting my Bachelor’s degree! It took a while but I did it and I am so happy I did!!!!
Thank you so much for the kind, generous, awesome, amazing and incredible opportunity :)!!!! I hope you celebrate this milestone with tons of yummy food and cake! I cannot wait to get my hands on your book!
My memorable moment of 2017 is my mom visiting me
My most memorable moment was hosting my mom’s retirement party! She retired this year after teaching for 20 years!
My husband and I recently went back to where we grew up and relived one of our favorite dates from 25 years ago by canoeing at the same place we did so many years ago. I’m happy to say we are as much in love today and we were then!
Hurricane Irma was memorable. Still getting back to normal.
Getting a new puppy to keep our 3 year old English Springer company.
my most memorable moment was the birth of my son in May! :) congrats on 8 years, awesome!!
I just got two sweet puppies.
my most memorable moment was this summer – camping and having so much fun outside! :)
My oldest started Kindergarten this year!
My daughter turned 19.
I’m celebrating my first wedding anniversary!
Last month a Tornado hit my town and visited my street yet my house sustained virtually no damage and nobody was hurt. In 2017, Karma finally paid back all my good deeds.
Congrats! I can’t believe I discovered you all the way back in 2010. The highlight of my year, hands down, was picking up and moving across the country to California!
Honestly, 2017 hasn’t been that memorable to me. Maybe 2018 will be better.
Cross country road trip.
Opening my own clinic after two years of hard work :) Congrats on 8 years!
My daughter moved to a new city for collage. i drove down with her and helped her set up her new home. it was wonderful
My most memorable moment of 2017 is my daughter got accepted into a program at school we have been fighting for years
I changed my diet and feel better!
Seeing our daughter happily running & climbing again six months after an illness left her in hospital & not able to walk.Â
I quit my job and went back to grad school full time. That’s pretty memorable! :)
I started a low carb healthy eating plan and have lost 40 lbs! I’m so happy with myself!
Going on a trip to Hong Kong with my mom
Helping my daughter and her new husband settle into their home was a wonderful experience . Enjoyed every minute