New Year’s Eve turned out to be a really great night. We went to a friend’s house for some drinks before heading down to the beach for midnight fireworks. Our friend Michael took most of these photos but Darlene gets some credit for several too.

Are you tired of watching us snorkel? I’m not.

On this particular day we were surrounded by turtles. Every time we turned around there was another cute and gentle turtle swimming along with us. So now you get to suffer through another snorkeling video.

You’re welcome.

Have you ever purchased a couch from the supermarket? Neither had we until we picked up this gem at Costco today. It’s amazing how simply upgrading from a cheap futon to a cheap couch made our place feel more like home. Actually, it’s a pretty awesome couch and I doubt anyone would even be able to tell it was purchased about 20 feet from the meat department.

Overall it was a perfect, easy-going day. Our favorite neighborhood cat, Sophie, stopped by to say hello… we grilled some sausage… we watched People’s Court on the new couch… we bought some beer… and watched the sunset. Right now as I write, Darlene is prepping some chicken that will soon be on the grill.

A simple but perfect day.

Christmas day picked up once Darlene was home from work. I spent the day at the beach, which was nice but also kind of weird to be by myself on Christmas. It was a beautiful day though.

Darlene came home and we opened  our gifts. Bud, our landlord, got us a couple of those wine pouches that Vikings and teenage skiers use. He also got us matching travel-sized first aid kits, so I guess we will have to go for a drunken hike and fall down a lot. Darlene got the same present from my mom 2 years in a row… literally. Last year she got her a sewing machine and this year she paid to have it shipped here, which was greatly appreciated by Darlene.

After opening our gifts we headed to the beach to watch the sunset. We got there just as a couple whales started splashing around and putting on a show for the large Christmas sunset crowd. People involuntarily cheer each time a whale raises a flipper out of the water or breaches, it sounds like a crowd watching fireworks. They were pretty far out, so it was hard to get a very good photo. I’m including one photo of a giant flipper splashing in the distance.

We capped off the night at a new friend’s party just a few minutes away. We met a lot of really nice people and had a great time.

It was a strange Christmas for us but still a nice one. It made us feel pretty homesick though, so maybe next year we will head back tot he Midwest for the holidays!

It’s a pretty low-key Christmas morning so far. Darlene is working most of the day and I’m just sort of walking around the house aimlessly. We will be going to party later tonight though, so that should liven things up a bit.

Darlene and I bought ourselves a grill for Christmas and broke it in with some delicious steaks. Darlene made some fancy compound butter and I have to say, it was one of the best steaks I have ever had.

The night sky here is usually filled with stars, but last night around 3am the sky was incredibly clear and we were treated to the most stars we have ever seen. They were twinkling like crazy too. It was really beautiful.

One of my favorite things about living in Hawaii is how quickly and easily it is to get to the beach. Many days I will be sitting at my desk and will decide on a whim to go snorkeling at one of my favorite beaches, Palauea Beach (White Rock Beach). 5 minutes later… I’m in the ocean, swimming through a reef that is so incredible it looks like a movie set.

Yesterday I wrapped up a big project and decided to treat myself with a swim at White Rock. I quickly stuffed a backpack with just the essentials and at the last second I grabbed my camera. I have been trying for months to capture the beauty of this reef but have always been disappointed with the results. I was determined to get some good photos but I think I finally realized I need a better underwater camera. However, I was so happy I had the camera with me yesterday!

I was filming and swimming along the reef when out of nowhere a sea turtle gently glided past my left shoulder. It’s hard to tell how close she was because of the fish-eye lens, but I could have easily touched this turtle. I swam along with her for about 10 minutes with a giant grin on my face. The water was rough and turbulent but you would never know by how effortlessly they move through the water. I had to struggle to keep up and not smash into the coral while doing my best to keep the camera still in the waves.

It was a great experience and a perfect reward for all my hard work over the last month!

Mom’s are the best! I knew my mom was sending some cookies but I had no idea the box would also be filled with all sorts of yummy treats, like nuts, peanut brittle and a homemade apron for Darlene. AND… not a single cookie broke in its 4200 mile journey to Hawaii. It didn’t feel like Christmas until I took that first bite of those cookies. Thanks to my grandma’s amazing recipe and my mom’s perfect execution of that recipe I can’t remember a Christmas in my entire life without those cookies.

Thanks mom! Merry Christmas!