For those of you who have been following my journey since getting let go from my job a few weeks ago, I must say that not many weeks could top this one! Week 3 was an exciting one both personally and professionally (thus the creative title of this post!).
First, I got over my huge fear of hosting an event. Specifically, I was afraid that no one would attend other than my family and best friend Katie. In addition, I assumed that getting gift bag donations would be nearly impossible.
Turns out, Ms. Career Girl Connect had about 80 attendees along with 25 gift bag donors, 5 door prize donors and 5 vendors! So many women have emailed me, tweeted me and called me saying that they got so much out of the event and can’t wait for the next one. Lesson Learned: if getting over your fear will help other people – even one person- DO IT. It’s so rewarding!
In other exciting news, I was asked to be a source for a US News & World Report story and have established a partnership with AnnieSez.com that will allow me to communicate with lots of amazing women while earning some designer clothes!
What I’m REALLY excited for though is the opportunity to be a guest on an XM radio show on the Oprah and Friends station (details to come!). I’m a talk radio and podcast junkie (along with an Oprah fanatic!) so this opportunity is sort of like a fantasy coming true.
On a personal note, my boyfriend, Thano, accepted a new position this week with a Chicago-based firm that he is SO excited about! Most importantly, he won’t have to travel anymore! I’m used to him being gone at least Monday-Thursday as he has traveled about 100% of the time during our relationship.
As this week full of excitement would have it, we also moved in together on Saturday.
And the best part about this whole blog post, week and possibly ever…
Thano proposed to me on Sunday! We were only 1 hour into our annual family vacation with Thano’s family in northern Michigan when he took me to Sleeping Bear Dunes and popped the question. I was TOTALLY shocked and couldn’t be more thrilled about spending the rest of my life with him. Oddly enough, the ring Thano chose for me was the exact ring that I put on my vision board back in 2007. I was almost freaked out by the coincidence!
Woo hoo to life!
Cheers,
Nicole
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If anyone can relate to where you're at in your career, it's Nicole Crimaldi: Nicole spent 5 years in corporate America, switched career paths, worked at a start-up, survived a layoff and is now self-employed. Nicole believes that career satisfaction is a huge part of overall happiness. Therefore, she started Ms. Career Girl to help other women get off the treadmill and onto a more fulfilling path.
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
Congrats on everything, Nicole! You deserve all of it and more!
And here I was so worried about you! Congrats on your engagement, it sounds like you have someone very supportive in your corner!
Congrats lady! You deserve absolutely nothing but the best!!! I’m so happy for you
[Also glad to hear about the ring...can't wait to see it!! I love that we were talking about this less than a week ago 
]
Enjoy, enjoy, ENJOY!!!
Nicole, I read your post and was smiling from ear to ear. You are rocking it girl!!! Congratulations on all of your new opportunities and your engagement. Cheers to you!
I could not be happier for you! Congrats on all fronts…. you deserve this and so much more! So excited to see your story unfold… KEEP IT UP!
Congratulations! I’m so happy to hear about your many joys. I hope to attend the next Ms Career girl event too
Enjoy being ENGAGED!
Congratulations to all of it! I’m so inspired by how positive you’re being across all of these transitions. I don’t know if you believe in God or karma or anything, but it feels like everything is falling into place perfectly for you.
Congrats on the successful event! Congrats on the US News & World Report story! Congrats on the Oprah XM Radio show appearance! And congrats on the ENGAGEMENT! Girl, you got it all going on right now! Roll with it, enjoy it, build on it!
As my mentor once said to me when I was in a similar situation: “Hold onto those feelings and keep them with you.”
Congrats! That does sound like an AMAZING week!
Sounds like an amazing week! Congratulations on the engagement!
Ahh! Congrats, Nicole! I love seeing how much things have transformed since we first got together for coffee back in – what was it? 2008? Yay! (P.S. Sleeping Bear Dunes make the perfect place for a proposal)
Congratulations! How exciting! Good luck with all of the wedding planning! It is so much fun!
Congrats on everything! Your attitude motivates me on tough days!
p.s. I would die for hair like yours! Maybe you could do a post/video on your beauty routines as well?
Congrats Nicole! What a great few weeks for ya. From full blown entrepreneur to wife, and who knows what’s next??
WOw wow wow!! I’m so happy for you!! A big congratulations!! And SO cool about the XM radio show…be sure to let us know when so I can tune in, just got XM in my car so I won’t miss it!
Congratulations on your engagement, Nicole! (And all the good career news.) So many wonderful things happening right now – enjoy every moment of it!
Hi! All of this is amazing! Congrats on the engagement! What a wonderful time in life.
. We should definitely chat soon!
Congratulations! What an exciting time for you!