HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY WILL!

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

This post is especially for this little man that you see above.  Will, I am so sad i can not be with you on your 3rd birthday, but I look forward to seeing you soon to celebrate and play! As if any of you didn't know, Will is my nephew, my godchild, and the one boy who can never do me wrong. I have so enjoyed and loved him ever since God brought him into this world. We are truly blessed to have him in our lives. There has never been a time when he hasn't brought a smile to our faces and joy to our hearts...even during his "terrible two's". I cherish every minute i get to spend with him and can not wait to see the person he becomes.  I love you & Miss you William.   XOXO

March Madness

I know it's been a while since my last post, i apologize.  I've been here, there and everywhere lately, so i'll try to wrap up the big moments in the past month or so.

February 10th- My very first NYC Blizzard.  I honestly didn't know what to expect when they were saying "blizzard" b/c the only blizzard i have really encountered was the blizzard of '93 in Birmingham. I expected people to stock up on milk, bread, the essentials...just like the south does when the meteorologist states weather conditions anything beyond normal.  Nope, not here.  I didn't even know how transportation would work or if it would work...although i am underground but the trains come in from above (from what i believe). Not to mention work, all they said was if NY stated an emergency that is the only time we are to not go in....which never happened. So i took my little happy self on to work in the fastest falling snow i have ever seen. I will have to say all i heard on my walk to the subway was slush, slush, slush...more icy water than anything and a very disgusting sound i might add.  Anyway, we got notice at 1:30 that we were allowed to leave so we could all get home safely. I heard from multiple people that this hasn't happened in quite some time.  Here are some pics of Blizzard round1.  Everything was so white, it was definitely something i have never seen.

You may have stop signs, stop lights, slow down, dangerous curve ahead all on your way to work but this is what i got in the winter! ha

 Then came Valentine's day, which was a wonderful long weekend.  Dan and I went up to New Hampshire to go skiing.  I hadn't skied in so long that i was a bit nervous getting back into it...needless to say i think Dan was worried about my skiing ability as well. We geared up and after about the first run he was thankful that i truly am good enough to keep up with him, i believe he even mentioned that i was a better skier (he may eat those words). So mom and dad, it looks like all of your well earned dollars you invested into my ski lessons paid off. By the way, thank you for that b/c now I am "better" than Dan in an active sport. ha  I was thrilled not only to go skiing but to ski in the North. I was curious to find out the differences since i have only skied in Colorado....New Hampshire was definitely no Colorado.  Man is it a lot colder, and as you can see in the pics we had a very snowy ski day which didn't help the cold air. The best way for me to describe it is by stating that i had to put in multiple hand and foot warmers...and only for a day of skiing. Dad, of all people you would understand that statement coming from me since you always had to have spare ones on you for me, tuck in my mittens inside my jacket (so the cold air wouldn't go up my coat) and help me resist going into every single warming hut.  Although it started as a cold, snowy, white sky day the sun started to come out and it ended up being a wonderful time. Here are a few pictures from that trip.

On to St. Patty's day...the rain tried to wash away st patty's this year but nope we wouldn't let it get to us b/c we just took our party inside. Okay, well not so much a party but a very fun, very Irish concert. Yep, we went to The dropkicks. My very first drop kick show...was everything i thought it would be and more. I didn't know the songs but i was just happy to be able to experience all the Irish that was in that room. All thanks to sweet Dan b/c he stood out in the rain for at least an hour to get us tickets. =)

Mom came to visit a couple weeks back, we had the best time. We ate, walked the town, shopped, ate, and ate....oh did i mention we ate? So you get the jist. Mom treated me to a wonderful weekend and filled with fantastic food. We of course did Da Silvano (staple for us, right mom?), Pastis, Bubby's for brunch and then topped it off with The Spice Market. MMMMM...delicious! It was wonderful to see my mom's beautiful and caring face. I have missed my family so much over the past few months and soaked up mom's visit as much as i could and counting down the days where i get to see her and dad again. Of course my siblings too...I have to say I'm very thankful that i have the connections with them that i do and i DON'T take that for granted, in fact i call them my best friends b/c they are and i am most positive that most people i know who have asked me about my family i always state that we are such an amazing close family and that i love the relationships that i have with all of my family members.  Especially my mom and I's relationship. Isn't it funny when you're little you try to keep your life your life and not telling your mom everything so it feels like your life....but now i can't keep anything from her and i love that! She's grown to be my best friend and so much that i can't go shopping without thinking...wait what does mom think?  Okay so now I'm rambling... but you get the point, Mom and I had a great time and i couldn't be who i am today without my family! So thank you to all of you!


I promise to keep you updated more often things just got a little out of hand lately and have intended to write but just hadn't had a minute to put it all together.

Just for fun here are some pics of NY

Welcome to the world sweet baby Claire...

 

I am once again a Auntie!  Claire Elizabeth was born yesterday morning at 7:53. Weighing 7.1lbs and 19.5 inches.

       I am so blessed not only to have such a wonderful family but for a growing Principi family. Will, my nephew who is close to 3 now and is Claire's brother, is the love of my life.  Now I am completely filled with more joy than i thought was possible.  I'm not quite sure you can fully understand the amount of unconditional love you can have for a niece or nephew until you actually have one. I honestly thought when Will arrived that I only felt like that because i never had a younger sibling but now i believe that it's just because kids really do lighten up your life.  They both are absolutely beautiful children and I cherish every moment i have with them.  I hope I get to meet her sooner rather than later, but when i do i know i'm going to automatically fall in love.

        Now I have to give my props to Jami, she is such a wonderful inspiration to not only me but to many people she doesn't even know! J, you are such a wonderful mother, daughter, sister in law, sister, friend and wife..one whom i hope to emulate one day. You're stronger than any other woman i have ever met, other than mom of course, but through the past couple of months you and Philip honestly have given "strength" a whole new meaning.  You and Philip both are such incredible role models. Now it's rest time for you miss Jami...live it up while you can and I hope you have a speedy recovery.  Thank you for bringing the world another Principi girl....lord knows we needed it! ha Let's just be glad that she won't be going to Pizitz Middle School, with this last name the PE teachers might not be so fond of her....that you can thank Alicia for! 



Now on to ME:


No one said it was going to be easy....but i never remember it being this tough!


     While February 1st was just another Monday for most people, it was my first day at my new job! I was extremely happy when i rose, a little nauseous, but that was all nerves.  I had orientation for the first 2 hours and then began my work day.  As you can assume I was in a whirlwind; not only juggling many emotions, thoughts and names but also I had not received my desk/computer/phone quite yet...so i also was becoming a nomad.   I was writing as many notes as i possibly could and just soak in what i could.  Needless to say by the end of the day I was suffering from exhaustion.

     After my month or so of time off where i kept saying "oh i can't wait to get back to work and stay busy again"....i didn't realize how fast that would actually come.  Busy was an understatement.  I haven't been in that situation in such a long time you forget how it makes you feel.  You don't want to ask too many questions where they begin to think your incompetent but you want to do everything perfect so you won't screw up...i was on a seesaw....the whole week. I would run to my boss's desk then back to mine, then i would realize something else i didn't know what to do with and there i was running back to his desk. At least i got a lot of exercise. ha  So many things were coming at me, new systems, new functions, lingo's, abbreviated lingo's, reports, spreadsheets...throughout the week my head was spinning. Once i would feel like i knew exactly what was going on something new would come up and bam there I was in a spin again.  So to make it short, i was frustrated (for many reasons), exhausted, lost, confused, scared....yadda, yadda. I kept my nomad ways until Friday, when i was presented my desk with a computer and phone. I felt much more comfortable by then, but still was having all these emotions. I knew I just had to get over the "beginning fever" and everything would be okay. I had to keep thinking everyone feels like this in the beginning.

     So thanks to Father Bob, I now have multiple churches in NYC.  This past weekend I chose to try out the one that was the closest to me...literally a few blocks from me.  The priest spoke mainly in his homily how if God wants to put you somewhere or brings you to an opportunity he will do it.  This I am very fortunate to say has happened to me. I know that he brought me to New York and I knew he wanted me to work for this company. It was a feeling i really have never felt before... when it hit me, it hit me hard and I just knew this was time to move to New York. Honestly, when i finally let him have the wheel and which he gladly accepted, It was the first time in my life i had absolutely no worries..and for those who know me well i'm quite the planner when it comes to my life and especially moving.  This is when I knew he had complete control so i just sat back to watch his magic unfold.  Anyway, so the priest goes on to say "to never give up, never waive the white flag" b/c he brought you here... he didn't bring you to frustration or whatever emotion you feel to give up.  It's a reminder that he is your encouragement, he will help you get through it and more than that overcome it! So that being said, I felt like he was slapping me on the head so that i could see straight again.  I let go of my frustration and let him take back those reigns.  It could not have been a more perfect homily for me, especially b/c of how i was feeling and it had only been my first week.


  This week has been a lot easier on me so far, although i found out today that i am taking on more tasks than i realized....but like i said i know he brought me here for a reason and knowing that i'm going to shine on! Who doesn't like a good challenge, right??

Hello There 2010

I have to admit that I was very excited to ring in the new year because what it meant to me. This year I am in a new city (New York), in a new apartment, landing a new job, anxiously waiting to meet new friends and new adventures....and well what better way to welcome a new year, right? Oh, I guess I forgot to mention that I am starting a new thing in my life...blogging. So you are warned, I am new at this, so please bare with me while I figure everything out.

I was chatting with my best friend, Anne Marie, the other day about blogs. Since i'm a newbie, I read hers and my brothers family blog. Anne Marie, is living in China, doing some really amazing things but whom I sincerely miss. Anyway, she mentioned that she would really like me to start a blog so that I can share my New York experience with her. I thought about this for a couple days, when it hit me while riding the Bolt Bus from New York to Boston, that why wouldn't I start a blog? I'm in New York City, one of the best cities in the world and I am so lucky to be living here, so yes I will share it with everyone. So this is for you Annie, you always inspire me and continue to do so even across the world! I love you.

So to all of you out there that said; "I'm so excited you're moving there, that way I can live vicariously through you"...I surely hope my life lives up to this expectation. I never thought my life is that exciting, but few apparently think differently.

I've been up here for almost a month now; Where I now lay my head at night is on Wall Street. I absolutely love my building and have used all the amenities they offer already. The area is quiet at night, which is great to find in a city that never sleeps. I'm walking distance to multiple subway lines and drum roll.....GROCERY STORES! Whew! Surprisingly those are super hard to find in New York. You know there are those that call themselves "grocery stores" but when you walk in you find that it consists of 5 choices of cereal (brands you don't recognize), OJ, suspicious looking eggs and meat, etc. So i was determined to find some that weren't so sketchy around me and thankfully there is about 4! One of which I will never go to b/c "Snow White" in the coffee corner scared the heebie jeebies out of me....seriously.

See....

I was able to do a few sight seeing while Dan was visiting (which i believe we will do more of when it gets a little warmer out). We decided to do the World Trade Center and Empire State Building...both on the coldest day I have felt since being here. I believe with wind chill is was 9 degrees. So we made it to the WTC, which is an amazing site to go and visit. It's amazing how much love and support still goes out to all of those families and people who were killed during that tragedy. The plans for the what is being built look absolutely breathtaking.

Then it was time for the Empire State Building. We got there and since it was during the holidays the line was about an hour and a half long just to get inside the building. I mentioned the wind chill, right? Okay so you know what is next, we decided to take the Empire Ride first and then go up to the top, that way we can go inside immediately. The ride was really cook and has Kevin Bacon giving you a tour of NYC. We did eventually get to the top, but we didn't last long like most people up there on that day. The wind was so strong that I honestly thought I was going to be blown off the building...Photos below will show you how cold and miserable it was up there. That was when we decided right then and there we will continue the sight seeing when the weather is nice.

 

  

  

I am very thankful for my friends out there that have gotten me in touch with some of their friends who are living in New York. I love meeting new people and new friends! Elliot, I have to thank you for introducing me to Mark, he has been a great friend/neighbor already. So I went out to happy hour this past week with Mark and a few of his friends who work in the financial district. We went to one of my favorite streets of NYC...Stone Street. I don't know what it is about it but it really calms me. It's completely stone and makes you feel like you're in another country. Lined with bars and restaurants and no cars! That is something that is hard to find also here in NYC. So we went to the Stone Street Tavern, where we learned they don't believe in "happy hour", but we drank anyway. As I was getting introduced, they all, like most people, wanted to know what brought me here. So I simply said...the city. They all just nodded and gave me a look that said they wanted to know more. So I told them, I just needed to take a chance so I packed my things and did it. Then Mark was gracious enough to explain to them...."all she brought were bags". Scary scary statement at the time, but I knew I'd be okay and was very at peace with it. They all started laughing and said "that is the coolest story". They all moved out here because of their job,and I guess you don't meet a ton of people who just can do what I did. I am so thankful that I had my family and friends support while I tried to figure out my life. I know that God wanted me here, which is why I was so at peace with having no job, no place to live, etc. If you know me, you know i'm more of a planning type of person...I like all my ducks in a row. This was when I literally just let God take the wheel and show me what he had planned. I'd be lying if I didn't say I was scared, but my whole life was changing before I could blink my eyes. Look at me now, I let him take the wheel and I have a fabulous new life, Which I thank him every day for bringing me here.

This is a picture of Stone Street

Yes, New York is such an amazing city....It amazes me more everyday if it's the people, the city itself, the places, the food, the spectacular views, it's something. Sometimes New York does something that the only response is "It's New York, ya never know what's gonna happen". I have had a quite a few of those lovely experiences. One in which, I could have sworn was a taping of a commercial or something... but no, it's just a typical morning in New York. This occurred when i was standing in line at a Starbuck at 8:30AM patiently waiting on the male infront of me to finally make a decision...after he ordered 1 of everything, he all of a sudden broke out his dance moves, which i believe he stole from MTV videos from the 90's. This was a surprise to me but shortly after I was taken aback by this voice behind me that is only describable as a male from "The worst of American Idol Contestants". At first, I honestly couldn't even understand the words that were coming out of his mouth, but I became so curious to what he was trying so badly to sing until I heard the song playing over the speakers.... Aretha Franklin's "I say a little prayer for you". Then, still patiently waiting to move up the line, the guy dancing in front turned around, with me in the middle, to the man behind me to signify he wanted to join into the song. Which I will give him credit, he did join at the most time in the song. Before I knew it, majority of people in there were all singing the lyrics, either to themselves or out loud...I was simply just there to enjoy a morning tea and prep myself for an interview. But just for a moment, I soaked it all in and just had a good laugh while i repeated to myself "It's New York".

That being said, New York has been wonderful to me so far. I've gotten to meet up with old friends in new places and new friends in new places. I am truly blessed to have this opportunity and hope that i can continue to bring a little New York to all of your hearts.

Thank you to all of those who have given me your unconditional love and support while I took this leap of faith.  I am ready and very excited to start my new journey into Corporate America.    

These are just a few images I thought were kind of cool:

Love this guy. He is on Wall Street and sells coffee...Always a happy spirit and has great music playing at all times!

Just love the view on Wall Street especially with the Church at the end...this is the only thing you see at the end of the very narrow street!

This the the roof deck on the the top of my building. I just thought it was pretty with the snow!
 

This is the famous Pastrami Sandwich at Katz's Deli.  It was extremely large but delicious! Katz's is known for one of the most popular scenes in When Harry Met Sally. It is located on the Lower East Side of New York.  If you ever go, give the cheesecake a try...mmmmm so yummy!!

  

Last but not least the view from the Bolt Bus and Dan's Car...