Birthday Submarine Trip!

After having thirty some-odd birthdays in cold and snowy weather, having my birthday in Hawaii was a very welcomed change. George got me some very nice presents, including boogie boards and some pretty vintage-style Hawaiian prints to hang on our still-rather-bare walls. I got lovely greetings and gifts from back East. (I can't wait to get the tent, ladies!)

The main event of the weekend, however, was a submarine trip right off of Waikiki beach. George and I departed, along with our friend Jason, from the Hilton Hawaiian Village Hotel on a shuttle boat that took us out to the submarine. From there we climbed down a little port-hole into the main cabin of the submarine. We each had a little seat and window to see out into the beautiful underwater landscape. We saw lots of interesting fish and reef life: sea turtles, sharks, schools of fish, and even a 5-ft barracuda! A lot of my photos didn't come out very well, but I got a few nice shots. You can see the pics here and a few videos from the day here.

Surf's Up!

This past weekend was the warmest MLK weekend I've had in my life and it was fabulous! George & I took advantage of the weather and our location by heading to Oahu's North Shore on Saturday to watch surfers take on the 10-14 foot waves. On Saturday we walked around the harbor by Chinatown after having lunch with longtime family friends Gerry and Mike Rogers. On Monday, we attempted to go snorkeling at Hanauma Bay with our friend Jason, but the parking lot was full so we trekked over to the Windward side of the island for some swimming and general beach fun. I took a few pics up at the North Shore as well as some video of some surfers swimming out and then catching some waves. Enjoy!

The Schwester Comes to Hawaii!

This past week, George and I had our first visitor from the mainland: my sister, Susan! Although our visit got off to a rough start with me being horribly ill and Susan accidentally leaving her ID on the airplane, we still had a great time. While I recovered from somach flu, Susan and George went hiking in the Waianae Mountains. The next day, we were joined by two more Washington, D.C. friends, Esther and Hyong. We hiked, went to Waikiki, had a mini-BBQ at our place, climbed to the top of Diamond Head, danced, went to the zoo, and ate lots of yummy food. From the peak of Diamond Head we saw a picture-perfect rainbow over the city of Honolulu.
It was really great to see my sister, but the visit was over too soon. I hope she can come out to Hawaii again for a longer visit some time. After all, she still needs to hit the Big Island and Volcano National Park! Susan and I shared my camera for the week and you can see all our pictures here. We're looking forward to hosting more guests at the "Hotel Lisa & George!"

Holidays 2006

The holidays were unique and very special this year. This was George and I's first Christmas and New Year together. AND they were in Hawaii. As I mentioned previously, it felt a little strange at first to be in a tropical climate for the season. Luckily, it didn't take long to get used to the idea of a palm tree for a Christmas tree and sandals for church on Christmas Eve. In fact, I think we both liked it a lot. Who knew that Christmas carols could sound so lovely on the Ukulele?

I also made a rather short trip to St.Louis between Christmas and New Year to visit with my family. (Click here for the pics.) I admit it felt rather rushed, but I still had a nice time seeing with my parents, sister, and brothers. It was especially nice to get to see my brother Joe before he heads off to Thailand for a 27-month placement with the Peace Corps.

Also during my trip, my Mom and Dad and I made some headway with the initial planning for George and I's upcoming wedding celebration. We also had some time to visit a cool exhibit of South Pacific art at the St.Louis Art Museum with long-time family friends Cathy and Jerry Willie. Overall, it was a very nice, but all too short visit.

I flew back to Hawaii just in time to celebrate New Year's Eve with George. On my flight back, I took some neat aerial photos of both Santa Rosa Island off the southern California Coast as well as some shots of O'ahu. You can check them out here. After my return, George and I went to a New Year's Eve party with some of George's Army pals and then came home and watched the fireworks from our front porch. For the record, fireworks seem to be the one and only activity that people do here in Hawaii on NYE. It was really amazing and also trippy to see and hear fireworks constantly for several hours leading up to and following midnight. It literally sounded like rain with all the small explosions and at midnight the sound resembled a torrential downpour! I took some video of the post-midnight fireworks that you can see here.

Well, that's the news from my neck of the woods. I hope to see many of you in Hawaii or St.Louis in the coming year. But whether or not I see you in person, best wishes for peace, health, and prosperity, in the New Year.