Something funny happens as we get older. Time seems to slip by more quickly. I could swear I just celebrated my last big fat zero and then the next one crept right up on me out of nowhere. The nerve. The same principle applies to children. That is, they grow rapidly and at an increasing rate. This week, Weekly Greens turned three. I continue to think of this site in the same way I think of my precious sons. The love is intense, the frustration is frequent but well worth the effort, my heart swells with pride when strangers shower us with compliments and I wonder how time has passed so quickly? And much like raising actual living, breathing children, I can’t say it gets easier with time. It gets more complicated. But it keeps getting better.

I love writing for you each week. I’m always delighted to hear from you. Every time I’ve wondered what the hell I’m doing and why I gave up a perfectly lovely job at a perfectly fantastic organization (twice, actually) to come back here and pour my soul into these photos, stories and recipes, something happens. As if I’ve asked the universe a question begging for an answer, one of my dear readers pipes up at just the right moment letting me know that all my fretting and sweating has been appreciated. That you’ve been somehow inspired. Or you picked up an idea that made a moment in your life easier or more joyful. Or that you’re feeling more confident because you learned how to roast a chicken or perfectly boil an egg or manage the grocery without a cart full of junk you don’t need. Or – and this one gives me a chuckle every time – that you’ve never made a damn thing on this site but you come back week after week because you like my writing and you feel like we know each other. And then I relax and remember why I was sitting in this very spot three years ago. It’s you. I knew you were out there. I knew we would be friends. I knew we would start to look forward to hearing from one another and even make each other laugh.

Since Weekly Greens is turning three, I thought I’d share some favorites in threes. I’ve illustrated this post with three of my favorite photographs. I thought you’d also be interested in:

Your Three Favorite Recipes*

• Asparagus Artichoke Tart with Quinoa Crust
• Pistachio Crusted Tilapia
• Panko and Fresh Herb Crusted Chicken Breasts

Your Three Favorite Posts

• Do You Juice?
• Embracing the New
• What’s for Dinner?

And…Three Things You May Not Know About Me

• My name is pronounced A-LEE-SEE-A. No “sh” sound. There is no way for you to know this. But now you do.
• I unintentionally hurt myself all the time. I just had all my knives sharpened, something I hadn’t done in at least a decade. Of course, I proceeded to slice my thumb badly immediately afterward.
• I eat something sweet almost every day. People ask me what I eat on a day-to-day basis all the time. The Washingtonian featured me in their Well Being blog with a food diary this week. Check out the story (and the funny comments) here.

* as measured by page views

Thanks for giving me a reason to do the work I love. Thanks for making me smile. Thanks for sharing your ideas. Thanks for coming back again and again. And for sharing me with your friends and family. Thanks for voting for my photograph when it was up for an award (and it won because of you!). And thanks for engaging me in all the ways you do – on Facebook, on Twitter when I decide to check it every once in a while and of course, on Instagram, my not-so-secret favorite social media outlet. I’m looking forward to what’s next and I hope you’ll stick with me for the ride.

Lots of love to each and every one of you.
XOXO.