Michelle and I spent the week after Thanksgiving in Honolulu, Hawaii. This marked our first visit to the islands and, despite being married for nearly two years, our honeymoon.

We looked forward to this vacation since moving to the Bay Area two years ago. I earned my scuba certification well in advance of the trip. I even got a new credit card to get a companion pass!

From the sea to the sky, Oahu is quite beautiful. The water is amazingly clear, so we had a blast snorkeling and diving (despite being unable to rent an underwater camera). Michelle even managed to best me at surfing. Hiking Diamond Head offered an endless supply of double-rainbows. The capitol, while not fully open, was the 23rd I have visited. A twilight tour of the Honolulu Zoo offered new knowledge about the animals and one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen.

Oh! Shave ice! We got shave ice everyday we were there! Our favorites are Matsumoto and Uncle Clay’s. I was used to just shaved ice. Hawaii taught me some things. You start with a scoop of ice cream, and put the ice around that. Cover the ice with the syrup, then top that with condensed milk. Top the whole thing with some fruit, and you got a real shave ice. It was so delicious!

A selection of photos is below. Visit Flickr to view more.