No Words...

Long time, no blog.
I apologize in advance for my lack of words in this post, but I will make up for it with pictures. Lack of words, because there are no words. There is no way to put into the words the amazing weekend I had celebrating the beautiful, amazing, kind, and sweet Kathleen and her fabulous bridal shower/bachelorette party weekend. There are no words to describe what a luxury it was to be in the company of the best friends a girl could ask for. There are no words to describe the amazing food I ate, the smiles, the sights, and the laughter. So I won't try. I'll just show you.


My weekend started off with this...

she's a trip, and that's what she took down the steps to earn that shiner (Happy Birthday Casie!)



What's a slumber party without shoving three almost 30 year olds in a full size bed? Seriously.

The shiner after a make up job by the artist known as Kate.






(okay, seriously... Is that not the coolest cutting board you've ever laid eyes on?)

Random

Sorry for the lack of updates... here is a random rundown of what is happening at casa de McQuinn

• We have both been working, a lot. This makes Bella sad and a little angry...

• Last week our smoke alarm went off at approximately 4 am. After searching high and low we were unable to locate anything to be concerned about (okay, okay, I didn't search high and low, but my brave husband did...) I didn't think too much of it, that is until my husband called me asking me to take a look at the smoke alarm and give him the product number, followed by a list of symptoms he potentially thought I may be feeling. He had become pretty convinced that we had some carbon monoxide issues so he proceeded to leave work to come home, replace our smoke alarm and ensure we had a carbon monoxide detector. (thankfully 885 East Drive was totally safe) Matt had a "safety meeting" for work that evening and proceeded to share his story with 100 of his  peers.
• Although our house is not on the market yet, we have made a lot of progress with Project: Sell 885 East Drive. I must say Matt has done an amazing job of working 6 days a week and spending his only day off taking care of "manly-esque" projects. Good Job McQuinn!
• NO, we have no idea when we will be outta here, or where we will be going...
• After receiving my masters I decided I would pursue obtaining my LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor) which would provide me more opportunities for counseling. I stressed, studied, and stressed some more and passed the National Counselor Exam in March. This is a long story but after going back and forth deciding whether I should begin the process here in Texas or wait , I am proud to announce that I am officially a LPC-I. The I stands for Intern... which means that I have to obtain 3000 hours under supervision and then I can drop the "I" and call myself a professional counselor.
• Sarah is Chicago bound in 5 days. Pretty excited. but last time I dedicated an entire post to the anticipation I felt regarding a trip to see friends, I didn't go. so i am leaving it at "excited".

4th of July

Happy Independence Day!!!

Hope everyone is having a fabulous and safe holiday weekend. The McQuinn's are spending their first Independence Day weekend in Beaumont since we took residency in these parts. We usually spend our time at my aunt and uncles on the beach, with sun, sand, fireworks, cold beverages, delicious food, and fantastic people. However, Hurricane Alex decided he would send some rain our way and change these annual plans. But we are making the best of our weekend and even gaining a couple of firsts here in Beaumont. 

Saturday morning we decided to check out the new Farmer's Market with some friends. I apologize for my lack of pictures. Because there was a lack of a farmers market. It literally consisted of 2 stands. Nothing else. Enough said.

Each year around this time we see all these yard signs around the neighborhood about the 4th of July parade. So we decided we needed to experience the parade. 

Again...

You will have to excuse my lack of pictures. This was not the parade I anticipated. (If you have the opportunity to attend the Summerfest parade in Ankeny this year, trust me, you are witnessing a pretty great parade...) The annual Beaumont parade consisted of....

1 Firetruck

1 Police Car

Several Beaumontian's walking/bike riding in their red, white, and blue, escorted by babies and dogs for a total of approximately 5 minutes. 

The kind older couple that chatted us up during the parade gave us a bit of a heads up before hand...

"This is a traditional small-town parade. You will be able to appreciate this being from Iowa..."

Although we left the parade a little underwhelmed, it did inspire a delicious breakfast. (courtesy of Mr. McQuinn)

We are off to continue the celebration... Enjoy it wherever you are.