Aloha to my first blog posting!

I'm hoping that this is going to be a great way to keep my friends and family updated on the things that are going on here south of the border, and share the happenings, some pictures, compliments, commentary and opinions as I start my 2nd year year here in the city of San Jose.

Here are some pictures of Drew and my trip to hawaii trip to Hawaii this last month. We left a few days after Christmas and were there a little less than 3 weeks. All in all it was a wonderfully relaxing (and much needed) vacation for the both of us. We spent the first few days on the Big Island. We even made sure to schedule time to watch Oregon State beat Missouri in the Sun Bowl. Go Beavs! Thanks to a wonderful find by Drew http://hawaiigolfdeals.com We played 18 holes at Hapuna Prince Golf Course and 27 holes at Mauna Kea. I have to say that Mauna Kea was a spectacular golf course, and definitely one of my favorites. We were also able to visit Kilauea on New Years Eve Day, and unfortunately it was covered in a cloud that day. We forgot our jackets, and decided not to venture out to the lava viewing area as the visitor center told us they were keeping everyone at a 3 mile viewing distance and all we would be able to see was steam. We'll know better next time, but i was really looking forward to walking on the lava like everyone told me about. We spent NYE with a few of my friends from Oregon. Thanks to the Malensky's, Jeff, Jamie, Devin and Jia for ringing in 2007 with us. The next few days were spent on the island of Kaua'i. More on that in my next post. When we returned from Kaua'i we were definitely ready for better weather since it was pouring rain most of the days were were in Kaua'i. We stayed at the Hilton Waikoloa Villiage, which was for a lack of a better description, much like Disneyland. The room was great, but required either a 10 minute walk one way or take a tram or boat to get there from the main lobby. I can't complain too much since we were staying there on points, but the hotel was massive. We explored a different part of the island, this time going to the Hapuna and Mauna Kea beaches. Drew taught me how to dive under waves and body surf which was fun and frustrating for me all at the same time. I spent the rest of the week, evening out my horrible golf tan from the 2 weeks prior. We visited the town of Waimea on one of the rainer days on Kona. Nothing much to see there. We were also able to go horseback riding in Waipi'o Valley on the North Kohala coast. It was my first time riding a horse, and I loved it! Little Jack was my horse, and was getting slightly grumpy with the other horses. It was fun nonetheless. The rest of the time was spent lounging at the pool and get our full share of sunsets. The next trip we'll most likely look into villas or condos vs. resorts. We learned that resorts tend to the make the trip a little more stressful and expensive than desired, regardless we still a great trip overall. Stay tuned for post #2.