A few more Hawaii pics...yes, it's taken me this long to download them...

Mike in front of the mountains they use for the LOST set...
Mike cruising in our Mustang convertible (even though we ordered a Ford Focus...bless the easy-going surfer dude who checked us in at midnight).
A beautiful beach on the North Shore...astonishingly less crowded than Waikiki
An amazing hike up to Manoa Falls. I was ready for a T-Rex to come charging through the thick canopy at any moment.
Mike and I on the top of Diamond Head. Do you SEE how BLUE that water is????

Oh, Hawaii....Oh, sweet sun....Oh, colorful fish of paradise...

For Christmas this year, Mike surprised me with a trip to Oahu, Hawaii (bless him, bless surprises, bless the existence of exotic lands far from these icy tundras clouded by impenetrable smog). The man had been keeping it a secret for months. And we were there. Just a week ago. Looking out of my window at this blustery and snow dusted landscape, this fact is difficult to imagine. Just a week ago.

Just a week ago we hiked through tropical rain forests with leaves as big as my body to crystalline falls careening over mossy rocks...Just a week ago we bought fresh passion fruit and papaya off of the side of the road for a few bucks (I can almost feel the sticky, sweet juice on my fingers)....Just a week ago we cruised with the top down (bless the easy-going Hertz rental man who upgraded us at two o'clock in the morning from a Ford Focus to a Mustang Convertible for free...it was way cooler) past mountains so velvety green, lush and jagged that they seemed to have burst through the belly of creation only moments before....Just a week ago we sat on sun-warmed, white sand and watched the blazing sun slowly set into the impossibly blue ocean...Just a week ago we dined on banana pancakes doused in macadamia nut cream and delights at Alan Wong's so delicious and delicate the mouth can hardly comprehend...Just a week ago we swam in Hanauma Bay with swarms of bright and strange fish and a sea turtle who darted surprisingly fast through the turquoise waters. Just a week ago. Sigh. Oh that time travel were an option.

Here are a few pictures from our snorkeling adventure. More pictures of our trip to follow.