THANKSGIVING

Wow, is it Thanksgiving again already? Where does the time go?

I have so many things to be thankful for, and while I'm forever reflecting upon said things, today seems like an okay day to write a little bit about it.

Kevin  Best soon-to-be husband in the world. Best friend in the world. Best partner in crime. My support system, rock, strength, heart and soul. We're coming up on our two year anniversary, and we're six months away from the wedding. I feel lucky to have him each and every single day, and don't know where I'd be without him. I'm getting teary-eyed writing about him, so I'm cutting myself off.

Dad, Jason, Mom (Nana & Papa, Grandma & Grandpa)  Could a gal ask for a better family? I think not. They've always been there to support and love me, and I'm forever grateful for that. Somehow they've managed to step it up since the engagement, assisting with every ounce of wedding planning, and most importantly accepting Kevin as family. Words can't express how lucky I feel to have a family and future husband that truly love each other. And now that I mention that, I feel even luckier that I've been welcomed with open arms into Kevin's family. And our families get along! I mean really, it's like a dream.

Friends  Where do I begin? Everyone says that their friends are the best friends, but seriously, mine are. Always there for me- whether it involves laughter, tears, venting, stress-attacks, etc. And not surprising at all, when Kev and I got engaged they all stepped up to volunteer their assistance with anything we need. People usually say things like this but then take off running as soon as there's an actual request. Not my friends- nope. They've been there for me us. Love them to the moon and back.

Wilson (Beans)  Sure he still pees in the house sometimes. Yes he tries to fight all dogs that are bigger than him. Definitely a needy animal, forever wanting to be in Mom's lap. I'm fine with it. I love him. Hell, I'm obsessed with him. Kev and I started a family when we adopted him in Summer 2011. He's our first kid, even if he's a canine. I'm certain Beans thinks he came out of me, and I'll continue to let him act accordingly.

A few other things I'm thankful for:

• Our health
• Our amazing jobs that we both love so much (and my kick-ass boss and co-workers)
• Our rad loft
• Beautiful art- mainly music and contemporary ballet
• The time I get to spend with those nearest and dearest to my heart.

I'm off to spend time with my loved ones. I'm going to soak up every minute, and maybe eat some delicious food while I'm at it. Happy Thanksgiving!

CELEBRATE

Wow, what a weekend! It's Sunday night and I'm exhausted. We usually don't jam pack our weekends so much, but man it was a fun one. 

Here's how it went down...

• Thursday night we decided to act on impulse and get matching tattoos. Our lives are so very planned out, so it felt good to do something spontaneous with my lifemate. We went with something very simple and pure. m & k in black Helvetica font- no shading. It's so "us". There aren't words to describe how happy this made me, or how obsessed I am with this fresh ink. It's wildly romantic. Some people have asked if I'm worried about "the curse of couple tattoos". The answer is no. Your curse can kick rocks.
• Friday night we celebrated one of our best friend's birthday with dinner and drinks (a lot of drinks). Nick is Kevin's best friend, and over the past two years he has quickly become one of mine. I love that man, and I'm so happy he'll be the best man in our fast approaching wedding. What a guy!
• Saturday night I witnessed as one of my best childhood friends married his love. The wedding was beautiful, the food delicious, the drinks strong, the company cheerful, music on point, etc. etc. etc. I couldn't be happier for John and his lovely wife. So much love.
• We just wrapped up our weekend celebrating the first birthday of mister Wyatt, the coolest kid in Chicago. His parents are dear friends of mine, and they truly are the most loving family. Debonair Social Club was transformed for the occasion. Balloons filled the room, a play area was set up, and the kids excitedly played in a moon jump inside the bar. Of course there were cocktails for the adults... And oh yeah... PBR sponsored the event. Did I mention how cool Wyatt is? (hope he enjoys his new American Apparel flannel and tee)

So this weekend was one for the record books. Time to soak up some lazy couch time before the chaos of the week begins. 

PATCH ADVENTURES

This weekend we hopped in the Jeep (after having the battery replaced- boo) and drove out to Sonny Acres for some pumpkin goodness. My inner child came out as I picked out the perfect pumpkins and gourds, sipped on hot apple cider, and fed the petting zoo animals. I made sure to grab some tiny pumpkins for my boss and co-workers because I'm all about office decorations. I also made two different batches of pumpkin seeds, which Kevin said were the best seeds he's ever had in his life. FALL VICTORY!

I named him Melville. He was my favorite.

I picked a tricky design, but was (and still am) very excited about the outcome. This took me forever and Kevin kept making fun of my "concentration face", but it was a great success.

(celebration shimmy)

A NEW LEAF

First of all, bad blogger! It's been a couple of months since I last updated, but in my defense, there has been a lot going on.

As previously mentioned, I started a new gig August 1st, and I have been LOVING it. I get such a thrill out of recruiting (have since I started), but working alongside an incredible team with passionate and knowledgeable leaders has been one of the best experiences of my life. I'm working hard to place talented people in some of the best ad agencies in the world. My bosses have continuously recognized my hard work and accomplishments, I'm being called into meetings more and more because our clients value me as a trusted professional in this field, and I'm acting as a career counselor to people that I personally look up to. High fives all around!

And then there's been wedding planning. Every new detail we plan seems to make me fall more in love with Kevin. How that's even possible, I have no idea. We have a lot of the major pieces put together, and we've started to shift our focus to smaller details. Fun! We've gone to look at wedding bands a few times, and a couple weekends ago we both found the ones we want to wear for the rest of our lives.

Two weekends ago we had our engagement photo session with the lovely Miss Amy Aiello. It was so much fun, and we are in love with results of our hard work (read: Amy's hard work and our giggling). Then two nights ago, my Dad managed to coordinate an amazing engagement party for some of my family and most of our best friends. There really aren't words to describe how amazing it was to spend the evening surrounded by some of my favorite humans, celebrating love.

Fall 2012 has been incredible so far. What's next?

WEDDING SEASON

I'm awake bright and early this Saturday morning because we're off to Indiana to witness two great friends come together in marriage. Yes attending weddings can get really expensive, especially when there's traveling and hotels involved on top of gifts and pre-wedding festivities. But you know what? I LOVE weddings.

I don't take being a wedding guest lightly. I attend as many of the showers and parties as I can, RSVP on time,  go all out on gifts and wrap them beautifully, dress to the occasion, and  cry tears of joy for each and every friend / family member / acquaintance I watch walk down the aisle. Weddings are a big deal, and so is being asked to attend them.

More recently attending weddings has had even more significance in my life because they remind me how happy and excited I am that Kevin and I have decided to spend the rest of our lives together. I mean really, how cool is that? I get to spend the rest of my life with my best friend. I get to wear a ring on my hand that says to all others, "don't even think about it" with no further explanation needed. We chose each other, and that's that. Today will be the second wedding we've attended together as an engaged couple, and we have at least four more to go before our big day. My bank account is empty but my heart is smiling, and that's all that matters.

HERE WE GO...

My oh my... where to begin? I guess I could start with a little bit about me. I'm Magen, twenty-five years old, creative recruiter by day, and one million+ other things depending on where or when you catch me.

Some topics you can expect to read about here:

• The happenings of my life whether it's concert-going, wedding planning, learning to play guitar, my love of music / fashion / cooking / Wilson (our Taco Terrier) / etc.
• Various crafting projects I take on with my pals (keep an eye out for b.marie).
• The process of planning our eventual move to California.
• Whatever else comes up along the way...

So far 2012 has been quite the ride, and I love it! I rang in the new year with Kevin, the love of my life, surrounded by some of our closest friends. We spent our second Valentine's Day together, visited my best friend and her betrothed in Boston, and then on my twenty-fifth birthday, he got down on one knee and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. Of course I said yes, and so began wedding planning (more to come on that later).

Not too long after the engagement, I made a major career change. I went from being a Site Manager for a commercial real estate company to a Creative / IT Recruiter, placing some of Chicago's best talent in super rad agency jobs. Being a recruiter suits me- I love it.

The changes didn't stop there though. We also moved into our second home together. We started in a brand new two bed, two bath condo in Uptown. Our place was gorgeous and we loved it, but we never felt "at home" in Uptown. We moved into an amazing loft in West Town, love our neighborhood, and have no regrets.

In the next few months I'll be attending four weddings, plenty of concerts (seeing exitmusic, Foxy Shazam, and Kill Hannah at Wicker Park Fest tomorrow), networking events for work, and of course continuing to plan our wedding.

What else does 2012 hold for me? We shall see...