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7 Wonderful Years in New York!

~ Nicole Monahan ~ Leave a comment

Does this make me an official New Yorker? I hope so. I use fuggedaboutit and cawwfee in normal conversations now. It’s been seven years since I moved here, where does the time go?!

The past year has been a whirlwind. I turned the big 3-0 and got married. It was very stressful planning a wedding and planning events in my real life job. Besides going to Copenhagen in March 2017, I haven’t had a “real” vacation. My time was spent planning, bachelorette parties, bridal showers, rehearsal dinners, gym, dance lessons, and crafting. I loved being able to see my closest friends and family so much last year. It made me feel truly blessed to have such love and support in my life.

Marrying my soulmate was also pretty awesome. I just literally can’t wait for our honeymoon. We’re thinking about Italy and maybe either Barcelona or Greece. Besides the wedding, I did get to travel a lot for work – Toronto, Chicago, DC, Orlando, and went to Asheville for another wedding. I feel exhausted thinking about it, but I love to travel!

If there was one takeaway and life lesson I’d take away from the past year it’s that you have to look out for yourself, especially when it comes to work. The past year has felt like being in a very toxic relationship. Without going into details, I’ve learned that whether it’s a company or friend, if that person isn’t supporting you in your personal and professional development than you need to move on without them. Period. That negativity is really stemming from a place of insecurity. For this year, my focus has been bettering myself especially when it comes to more classes and networking.

 

 

 

The Instagram Photo That Gave Me a Swift Kick to Start Writing Again

Humans of New York
~ Nicole Monahan ~ 2 Comments

Last week as I was scrolling through Instagram, this image and quote from Humans of New York caught my eye.

Humans of New York

I’ll be honest, I don’t write as often as I should. But this quote was a true awakening. It reminded me of when I just graduated college. Almost every single day for about an hour I would just write and recollect my thoughts at nearby cafes. It was one of my most fondest memories. It was my personal getaway to recap the struggles (and still struggles) of the economy and post-grad life, finding my way, logging weight goals (I lost 80lbs in about a year during my senior year and documented it both on and offline), and reenacting fun I had with friends in college. I could relive it all or just reflect, even for a few short moments. It was pure bliss.

Immediately after reading this quote, I grabbed a new Moleskine notebook and got started. I’ve been writing every single day since then ( a whole week straight so far! ). Just like anything else you need to make time for it, and it’s definitely a habit I’m excited about forming.

I’d love to hear from you: What are your daily improvement habits? How do you strike a balance to make time for these habits?

For me, I’ve started to only bring a book with me whenever I’m running out the door, that way I can squeeze reading time into my commute time. Then, I’ll set aside an hour to write in the evening and use my Lift app to hold myself accountable. It’s also fun to check things off a to-do list.

Would love to hear from you! Let’s explore in the comments below.

Pursuing My Passion – Women Who Brunch

Women Who Brunch August Event at Five Points
~ Nicole Monahan ~ Leave a comment

“The best way to bring everyone together is through food.”

A few weeks ago I took the leap and pursued my side project with my good friend Megan Frantz, called Women Who Brunch.  A monthly Meetup group and event series which gathers a group of women together over the most important meal of the week. Each month we curate the restaurant, conversation, speaker, and experience.

Women Who Brunch August Event at Five Points

There were a number of reasons why I wanted to start this up. One of which was to meet new women, I don’t think that there is enough opportunities for women to support and connect with each other. The other reason was of course to have an excuse to eat delicious pancake carbs and check out a new restaurant. In all seriousness, I’m excited for what the future holds for WWB. I’ve always wanted to start my very own foodie community, while having the freedom to curate the best experience possible.

Our inaugural event on August 3rd, was more than I could have asked for, with two great speakers Megan Nuttall and Monica Lo. Both of which spoke on the subject of “Passion Projects”.  I’ve known these two for almost a year now and have constantly kept up on their new ventures. Recently, they received Google Glasses to beta test and have been using them for a photography project in which Megan will in turn write a piece about their experience. During the brunch they were also so kind as to bring their pairs of Google Glass for our attendees to play with. Successfully, we also had a sold out brunch event and I got to meet a lot of amazing new ladies along the way.

Women Who Brunch August Event at Five Points

Looking forward, I’m eager for what we have on the horizon. For our September brunch we’re bringing back Megan Nuttall, the theme will surround “Crafters & Makers”, as she also runs her own Etsy store called The Invisible Kitten. We’re going to have some fun icebreakers in the works and so far received a great discount off the Maker’s Faire, which is by far one of my favorite Queen events.  For October, the lovely Angela Giacchetti of Eventbrite NYC will be joining us as our guest speaker for an “Events” themed brunch. And finally, we also launched our website this week!

The only thing that could make my life complete was if Jimmy Fallon showed up as an honorary bruncher – a girl can dream…

Join us for brunch on September 15th at the Jane Restaurant! Brunch on, ladies!