Myrtle Beach Days 4 - 7

So my first post covered one day, my second post covered two days and now this post is going to cover four days.  While 90% of this is due to laziness on my part, the other 10% is because each day looked an awful lot like the day before.  So here is a brief summary of how the rest of our week went.

We spent our days going for walks and simply lying out on the beach.  I listened to almost an entire Tom Clancy book on tape while gazing out at the ocean.  Am read a book borrowed from the condo.  We ended up with some beautiful sunny days in the latter half of the week and soaked in every minute of them.  Here we are enjoying the beach:

(Notice that I am in the shade...I was banished here after not wearing sun screen the first day)

We had some great meals with Am's parents and uncle and aunt at the Marriott resort that they were staying.  The hotel had some outdoor infra-red grills that Am's dad used to grill burgers one night and a pork loin another night.  They were mouth watering delicious!!!  Here are the burgers:

After long days lying in the sun, we relaxed by (or in) the Marriott pools and hot tub (yes, Am stayed out of the hot tub...didn't want to cook the baby).  Below is a view from the balcony of the Marriott room:

Evenings were generally spent watching movies in the room before Am and I would head back to our condo for the night.  These were some late nights but fortunately I am a morning person so I was still able to catch the sunrise each day (or I guess this could be viewed as unfortunate from the standpoint of my lack of sleep).  I was frustrated throughout the week with mornings with either too many clouds for the sun to shine through or no clouds for the sun to light up.  Finally my great sunrise arrived our last morning.  The very top picture is one of the resulting images and the below is from after the sun came up.  The deep orange was unbelievable.

The Marriott crew had to check out Friday morning so we finally had some company in our condo for Friday evening and Saturday morning.  We had a final dinner out at Carolina Roadhouse and then walked around the massive Broadway at the Beach complex before hitting the sack.

Unfortunately our week came to an end and we had to head back to reality.  Fortunately for Am and me, we have a short week before heading to Vegas this upcoming weekend!  We captured some final images of the crew out on the balcony of our amazing condo.

Our final task was to pack up the cars before the journey home.  Am's dad had borrowed a Suburban from work which should have provided more than enough space for a one week vacation for just four people (Am and I drove separate), however, you can see that they used up every last inch of the space.  Fortunately Pappa Breen is a master car packer!

Thus closed our 2012 Myrtle Beach vacation.  We shall return (and next time with a kiddo in tow).

Myrtle Beach Days # 2 & 3

The past two days have been absolutely wonderful days of relaxation.  Our typical vacation is generally spent trying to cram as much into each day as humanly possible.  This usually results in a comment when returning home that goes something like "wow, I am exhausted, I really need a vacation".  This Myrtle Beach trip is the first in a long time where the goal of each day is to do absolutely nothing.

We have been going for long walks on the beach, sitting on the beach watching the waves, making an occassional venture into the ocean or just floating around in the pool.  My ADHD personality generally hates doing stuff like that but it was so needed and I am loving it.

We have had mostly cloudy days thus far this week but the sun peaks through occassionally and I have still managed to scorch the top of my feet.  The water has been warm and the days have been closing out with enough sun to get that beautiful sparkle across the water as the sun sets behind.

Sun rises have been non-existent due to all of the clouds.  This morning was the first morning that I was able to squeeze any light out of the sky.  The image above was the result but I had to go a little overboard in processing.

Am and I headed out yesterday to the Hard Rock Cafe.  I have collected the pilsner glasses for years and have a collection sitting above my desk at work.  While my collection is small compared to real collectors, I do have glasses from 14 different cities and was excited about scoring number 15.  The food at Hard Rock was great (as always) but we were told that they have discontinued selling the pilsners.  I was completely shocked as that is a huge collectors item.  I guess I am now collecting pint glasses?  Here we are at the cool pyramid shaped Hard Rock:

We went to Outback Steakhouse for dinner to celebrate Am's parents' (Mike & Patti Breen's) 35th wedding anniversary. We collectively decided that there are good Outbacks and bad Outbacks. This was a good Outback. The food was great and our server was very good. Here we are at Outback:

We headed back to the Marriott after dinner and watched a movie before retiring for a night. Day 2 and 3 were good days but day 4 was about to be awesome...

Myrtle Beach Day #1

We arrived at Myrtle Beach yesterday for our first beach vacation together.  We ended up reserving a room at Carolina Winds; a huge building full of independently owned condos right on the beach.  When I made the reservation, I asked for the room with the very best view and was assured that all of their oceanfront rooms had great views.  I explained that my wife was pregnant and had gone through a rough patch in the first trimester and I really needed this to be an awesome vacation for her.  Apparently my spiel paid off because we ended up in what, from the outside, looks to be the best room in the entire massive complex.  We are on the top floor, directly facing the ocean (other rooms have just a slanted view) and have the only room on the floor with a wrap-around balcony that allows for views down the beach as far as the eye can see in either direction.  Never in my wildest dreams did I think our view would be anywhere near this good.  My next post will have a picture from the outside showing the balcony.  But here's a picture of us beginning our journey:

After getting checked in and relaxing for a while yesterday, we headed to Carabbas for dinner and, like always, Bertucci’s delivered.  The food was fantastic.  Here we are about to devour our meal (if you haven't eaten there, the lasagna is out of this world!):

After dinner we made a quick stop at a local grocery store.  Last night was the Super Moon which is when a full moon happens to coincide with the closest approach that the moon makes to earth.  This results in a moon that appears slightly larger and brighter.  When we arrived at the grocery store, we could see this awesome moon against a deep blue dusk sky.  And, of course, this super moon would be setting over the ocean right outside our balcony.  And, of course, we were not at our balcony but at the grocery store.  We grabbed some quick food and raced for the condo.  It was a little too late to get the shot I would have wanted but fortunately I was able to snap off one quick one before the sky became too dark.  The result is the top image above.

Right after we plopped in bed from exhaustion, a huge thunderstorm moved right over the ocean outside the bedroom.  Our room has a door out onto the balcony and we had left the door open so we could hear the loud waves while we slept.  Being so close to the water, this allowed us to watch the lightening strikes on the horizon...all while lying in bed.  I finally could take it no longer and bounded from the bed and out the door with my camera.  The strikes weren’t close enough for a fantastic shot but here is a small strike:

It was awesome to be able to lie in bed and watch the storm…and then to wake up to the sound of the waves and to be able to look out and see the ocean without even getting out of bed.  I love this room! Here is the view from our bed:

Neither of us slept great last night.  The downside to leaving your door open is the other noises you must endure.  We had some loud obnoxious people walking on the beach and some late night (or early morning) fireworks to contend with.  And then the smoke alarm kept beeping in the condo.  I finally got up to remove the dying battery only to find that it is hardwired into the electrical system and the battery is only a back-up for power outages.  So the loud beeping continued with the battery removed.  I got back in bed and tried to ignore it but it was no use.  I finally wandered down to the first floor and found a security guard who was able to find a 9 volt battery.  At that point there was no going back to sleep so I waited on the balcony for the sun to rise.  There are no great pictures from this morning as the clouds hid the sun but it was still fantastic to enjoy those early morning hours.  While I will always call myself a mountain person, I most definitely do love the beach.  Off to enjoy day 2…

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Am and I joined up with my brother Dave and his wife Shelley on Saturday to attend Trans-Siberian Orchestra's Beethoven's Last Night performance at the Hampton Coliseum.  We drove out to Hampton Saturday afternoon and checked into a great Marriott hotel that was just .4 miles from the Coliseum.  That meant we didn't have to fight traffic to find parking before the concert and then fight traffic trying to get out at 11 PM after the concert - very nice!

After checking in, our stomachs starting calling so we set out in search of food.  Dave found a cool Hibachi place near the hotel.  We had a blast visiting and being entertained by our chef.  And my scallops were absolutely delicious!  I love me some Hibachi!!!

The tickets to the concert were a gift to each of us from our mom for Christmas.  I had been to Trans-Siberian Orchestra's Christmas performance years back and was blown away with the light show and the awesome music.  My expectations were definitely set high for this performance.  Am, Dave and Shelley had never been to a TSO concert.  Our seats were dead center and only 11 rows back so we had a pretty good view...well, with the exception of the large guy in front of me whose head was blocking a pretty large portion fo the stage...

That just meant that my neck got a good workout.  TSO is wicked talented when it comes to music but they are probably best known for the aweome show they put on live.  They use tons of lights, fire and lazers to make the show entertaining and they always try to make it better and better each year.  Last time I saw them, I had my good camera and was able to get fantastic shots.  I have been 0 for 4 the last four times I have attempted to bring my camera to events so I decided to just bring my little point and shoot.  The walk between the hotel and the Coliseum may have only been .4 miles but I was not walking all the way back to my hotel to drop off the camera after being told I could not bring it inside - been down that road too many times!  This will still give you an idea of what the show was like:

We left with everyone's expectations exceeded.  We crashed at the hotel and enjoyed a nice morning of sleeping in.  Dave and Shelley wanted to hit the road early so Am and I took our time and found a Cracker Barrell for breakfast.  You can see Am went fairly healthy with yogurt and a small muffin.  Me...not so much.  I scarfed down four INCREDIBLE slices of french toast!  It was a fantastic trip - thanks mom!

We are back to work this week and then off to Myrtle Beach this upcoming Saturday for a week of down time!  And then on May 18th we are off to Las Vegas (I am going to a conference there so we are making it a little mini vacation - everyone keeps telling us to get them in now because once the baby comes...).  Add in our first ultrasound on May 29th and you can see that we have a busy month ahead of us with lots to blog about so stay tuned!

A New Adventure Begins - Baby #1

We found out a few weeks back that Am is pregnant with our first child!  We are officially in week #11 and our due date is October 28th.  We couldn't be more excited...despite the nausea, vomiting, and lack of energy.  We are definitely looking forward to putting the first trimester behind us in hopes of Am feeling more human again.

We had our first check-up on March 21st and all looked good...too good, actually.  I was hoping for an ultrasound that I could include with this message but the doctor felt there was no need for one.  We were confident of the due date and there was nothing alarming in Am's symptoms so she felt it was just a waste of money.  So we will have to wait until our next appointment on April 18th to get that first glimpse of our little one...and maybe we will even get to hear the heartbeat this time :) 

We will keep you updated as we know more but, before I go, I will answer a few of those questions that EVERYONE asks.  Yes, we will be finding out the gender at our very first opportunity.  No, we have not selected names yet but we are making lists.  We plan to have the baby at MCV and are leaning toward using a midwife.  We don't really have a strong preference on gender (the usual "we just want a healthy baby" answer) - we go back and forth depending on the day (but I am convinced it is a boy).

We have been thoroughly enjoying the weekly updates on the "What to Expect When You're Expecting" website.  They give a play by play of what is happening each week in the development of your baby and the symptoms mom is enduring.  Every week I sit back in awe as I read about the miracle that God is performing in Am's womb!!!  Here is a link to week 11.

Savvy's 3rd Birthday Party

It really feels like just yesterday that my niece, Savannah (aka Savvy), was born.  But, believe it or not, she is turning 3 years old this week!  We celebrated on Saturday with a big birthday orchestrated by my sister Amy (Savvy's momma).  It was an absolute blast!  Here are some pictures from the festivities.  As you can see, Savvy had a fireman's party (she loves fire trucks!).  Check out the burning bushes on Savvy's cake - Food Lion did a pretty incredible job.

After eating cake and ice cream, the kids were taken outside to play some games.  This was secretly just an excuse to get them outside before Savvy's big surprise showed up.  We played some "duck duck goose" until Savvy heard what sounded like a big truck coming down the street.  Look at the expression on her face in the second picture!  Classic!  Amy managed to get the fire department to come out and let the kids see the fire truck.  This made Savvy's birthday extra special and a HUGE thank you goes out to the firemen who made it happen.  You guys are awesome!

(I know I am biased but isn't she the cutest kid ever?)

We closed out the party with Amy's version of "pin the tail on the donkey".  This was stick the sticker on Savvy's face (on a picture, not her actual face...although that could have been fun).  After the games, Savvy opened her presents while entertaining us with the Dora dance every time she received a Dora present.  I think the hit of the party was a gift from Amy's friend Rebecca (or "Pecah" to Savvy).  She got her a microphone which Savvy was super psyched about.  She entertained us with "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star".  Definitely an awesome party!  Happy Birthday Savvy Girl!!!!

(Dora puzzle - Savvy's doing the Dora dance)

(And there's "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star")