holden beach 2012

we started this a few weeks ago and then, well, life happened in the meantime, as it often does. so this is all a bit overdue, but we can't let any more time go by without a (drumroll, please)... HOLDEN BEACH RECAP!!

the mcnichol fam has been making the annual pilgrimage to Holden Beach, NC for about 15 years now. the crowd always varies slightly from year to year, but the 2012 installment was especially unique because we had the whole Rosenthal clan along for the ride =).

bryan's folks rented a house around the corner from the Bassett beachfront home and between the two houses there ended up being a grand total of 16 of us (16 at once, anyway. Lisa made 17 but she left before my brothers arrived).

normally i'm someone who has a hard time with change, especially where annual traditions are concerned, but this year's trip was a change in the BEST kind of way.

for one thing, we had enough people for a guys-versus-girls game of beach volley ball, followed by some cornhole...

... skin boarding... (Papa Rosenthal would NOT give up on that thing. it was downright inspirational.)

 

personal favorite ;-)

crabbing...

(this photo was stolen from Bryan's sister's friend, Kathryn)

one night the girls all made homemade salsa and guacamole...

and then of course there were the good old Holden Beach traditions, like John's 24th birthday (the birthday part is tradition, anyway - the number tends to change every year)...

... post-dinner jam sessions...

... and general, all-around fun and togetherness =)

Vince and his friend, Grant.

John with his girlfriend, Sarah.

Bryan's brother Stephen and his girlfriend, Emily.

toes...

hats!

this magical week went by far too quickly and culminated in a beach photoshoot, courtesy of the brothers Rosenthal:

30 weeks!

when your husband works all day on a saturday, you feel like you ought to get SOMETHING done. so i figured, why not start with a fun something?

even though we have 2 much more important and interesting blog posts in queue (i'm waiting on photos *ahem*), i don't like to go too long without posting something, and there are always plenty of delicious little everyday items that need their time in the spotlight along with all the big stuff. 

for instance...

speaking of delicious, i have recently re-discovered the magic of cereal. why did i ever stop eating this stuff?? the promise of honey bunches of oats with the morning comics are literally THE thing that got me out of bed every morning for all 4 years of high school. and it's really quite good for you - even the sugary stuff that isn't quite as good for you as the non-sugary stuff has its share of goodness and nutrients packed into each delectable little flake, which this pregnant woman who generally dislikes eating breakfast greatly appreciates.

and now that i've just somehow managed to write an entire paragraph dedicated to cereal, it's time to move on. 

as the title of this post suggests, today marks 30 WEEKS!! that means only 10 more until baby rosenthal explodes onto the scene and changes our universe forever. bry&i bounce back and forth between hopeless excitement and crippling terror, but if you're wondering which of the two usually ends up winning...

... ok, that face could kinda go either way, so i'll just tell you that it's my "hopelessly excited" face.

another fun little fact - did you know you can go and play with puppies for FREE at the petland in fairfax? well, you totally can, and we totally did last weekend.

this little guy tore bryan UP! he had scratches and bite marks all up his arms/legs and was actually bleeding. we'd chosen the beagle pup because, as i wisely observed, he "looked like he needed some exercise." no shoot, sherlock... bryan declined to "exercise" any more puppies after that one.

photos like these are a glaring testament as to why i generally stick to writing. 

in other completely unrelated news, I MADE A COBBLER!!

ALL

BY

MYSELF

if you know me at all, you know why that statement was deserving of caps and multiple exclamation marks (2 looked about right, 3 felt a bit tacky). the glory of this accomplishment is only slightly diminished once you've followed the link to the embarrassingly easy recipe i used. 

in closing, i'd like to say, did you know that this week is restaurant week in the DC area?? don't know what restaurant week is? basically, it means that a bunch of restaurants in the area are doing this:

they're all the same deal too, no matter how pricey or affordable their menus usually are. we're heading to the melting pot in reston tonight with the sheks (!!). we wanted to go to chima brazilian steakhouse in tyson's (and if you've been there, you'll know why, especially considering how much they usually cost), but they were (not surprisingly) booked until 9:15 tonight =/.

ok, this has been fun, but laundry, an unmade bed, and bags of stuff that need to go to goodwill are calling my name (as is, at some point, a shower). have a fantastic weekend, all!

thursday

happy thursday! at the moment we are unwinding to "property brothers" after enjoying a fabulous garlic-teriyaki-ginger-steak-peppers-pasta dinner creation concocted by the brain of bryan whilst catching up on the USA women's olympic soccer MAGIC.

a few months ago we snatched up a groupon deal for this weekend on a 2-night stay at the gaylord national harbor hotel for an early 1-year anniversary getaway. we definitely don't plan on doing a lot of blogging while we're away, and so i give you, in no particular order...

OUR WEEK:

my FREE Rent the Runway dress that was only good for saturday, forcing us to make it a date night...

... at Mazadar Kabob in Fairfax. how cool is that couch seating?? (you can't tell, but it has a fountain inside too!)

the Dubai Desert Maxi made a surprisingly cute maternity outfit!

i had an OB appointment on monday, which isn't particularly exciting in itself, but i was psyched out of my mind when my doc nonchalantly began rattling off body parts, "okay... there's the head, and that's a foot, spine - great!" i shot my head up and gasped, "wait, where?!?" i watched in absolute fascination as he proceeded to tell me exactly how the baby was positioned and where everything was. it was amazing to be able to actually picture just where this little person was (and what exactly was poking me!). 

speaking of poking, we're a little concerned about the fact that this child apparently never sits still... like, ever. since i was 17 weeks, we've been able to feel him/her kicking, poking, rolling around, the whole 9 yards. and at pretty much every appointment (monday's being no exception), the heart rate has held steady around 160. people tell us that this is usually a pretty good indication of what we can expect in the future... God help us!

luckily, the past few appointments have received such rave reviews as, "absolutely perfect!", "you couldn't ask for a better report than this", and "normally we'd want to see you back again in 2 weeks, but everything looks great - i think we can wait another 4". 

=)

that about sums it up, actually. please excuse us while we pass out early... 

november, 2009

yesterday we managed to peel ourselves off of our couches (yes, we each have our own) long enough to go through our hall closet and some boxes in an effort to make more room for baby (i actually took photos on the REAL camera and was very proud of myself, only to realize as i write this that i have no idea how to upload them...).

in a box of odds and ends that hasn't been touched since before the wedding (OK, longer than that), bryan came across a somewhat creased envelope with my handwriting across the front: "open next time you're upset with me!" it enthusiastically suggested. we opened it and saw that it was dated November 10, 2009 - almost exactly 2 years before our wedding (unbeknownst to me at the time, of course). i don't know what it means that i felt the need to write a "next time i really tick you off" letter just 4 months into our relationship, but moving along...

seeing as this blog is decidedly lacking in, well, WORDS, i thought i would share this precious piece of memorabilia with you all. i hope you enjoy it (almost) as much as we did =):

My Dearest Love,

I just wanted to take a minute to tell you how much I love you and how immeasurably blessed I am to have you in my life. After four months of being together more or less constantly, I still stare at you and think, "Is this perfect man seriously MINE??" I know I keep saying it, but it really does blow my mind that you exist!

It's hard to comprehend the idea of someone being MADE for me, but I'm beginning to suspect that you may have been. I think that maybe ever since I was born, God has been waiting to surprise me with you. You, Bryan Rosenthal, are a totally unexpected and undeserved gift =).

I think about you all the time; sometimes I can't help feeling how truly selfless God must be to have given me someone he knew would be in competition with him for my time and thoughts.

You seriously make everything better. You keep me close while simultaneously giving me the room I need to grow. While there are plenty of times when I doubt myself, it never occurs to me to doubt you.

Your love makes me love my life. It makes me love myself because you make me feel so lovable (That's a lot of loves). Most importantly, it makes me love God for all he is doing in my life through you. Not only am I never tired of you, I am more and more in love with you every day. I hope we have lots and lots more days ahead of us because you feel like home to me. 

I've always thought about how my ideal man is someone I'd be proud to introduce to my friends and family - someone I'd want to show off. That man is definitely you. I am so proud of you and proud to be yours, with love ~ Theresee

    (posted to Facebook November, 2009)

looking back and forward again

2012 has been quite a year for us!

we turned 27...

bryan got to go on a business trip to NYC...

... and Apple corporate...

we took a LOT of road trips, stopping in random small towns along the way...

(the natural bridge & butterfly sanctuary)

we went to see the cherry blossoms, revisiting the spot where we stopped for photos after Bryan proposed last year...

we made a BABY!!

watched Stephen graduate...

... hung out with the Pirros and baby Donnie...

... all while sporting our signature awesome shades ;-).

it's been a good year so far. we suspect it's only going to get better once a certain little someone arrives on the scene circa October 28th...!!