Today after class I went to the DMV in Cumming, Georgia. I only had to wait fifteen minutes to get my new license which was amazing considering you always here horror stories about the wait there. However, Matthew informed me that I could use my previous license photo when I switched my name so I determined there was no need to look nice this morning...this was NOT the case. As a result, I have a wicked bad picture for the next four years. I had no make-up on and I had my greasy hair slicked back into a knot. I blame Matthew for this, but when I looked at the i.d. and my signature was Holly Anne Terry, any bitterness I was harboring melted away. I love being Mrs. Terry!

Wedding License Arrived

Today in the mail Matthew and I received our official State of Georgia wedding license! I was so happy, but then I realized that I had to go to all the different government offices and fill out forms to change my name. Don't get me wrong I am thrilled to be Mrs. Matthew Terry, just not thrilled about waiting in lines. (I have a little issue with patience) I am hoping to hit the DMV tomorrow, but the thought of the social security office makes me ill. If all goes according to plan I will be Holly Terry on all my stuff before school start in a week.

A few pictures here and there

As Matthew and I await the pictures from our photographer, we are getting a few pictures here and there from some friends and family. If you have any pictures you would like to share please send them to us. I am going to attempt to make a serious scrapbook out of all the photos I can find. It also seems to be that snapshots are often the best pictures of all. Here is a quick glimpse of our cake and Matthew and I enjoying our dinner.

2 Week Anniversary

We went to Jason's for dinner with some friends tonight and we got our
name on a cake! We have passed our 2 week milestone.

Home Sweet Home

We have arrived safely and although we wish we were still in Hawaii,
Norm is glad we are home.

Preparing for Departure

We are having our final dining experence in Oahu before heading to the
airport. It has been a great honeymoon and we are sad to be leaving.

Goodbye Oahu

For our last full day on the island Matthew wanted nothing more then to rent an umbrella and sit by the ocean. Who am I to deny him that. Here he is lounging in the shade and relaxing with his book. We spent the entire afternoon just being lazy. I did manage to get him into the ocean once, but it took a lot of coaxing.

Here is the view from our chairs...it's going to be pretty hard to go back to Atlanta.

Matthew and I then got cleaned up and head to dinner at Chuck's Cellar. This was my pick from the guide book because it said it was a local favorite and not many people know about it. We walked down a small staircase and were in a little dive bar right out of the 50s. Matthew and I were given the best sit in the house, right next to the piano player. We got to enjoy old love songs all evening, as well as a great dinner. Matthew had the spicy swordfish and I had the steak and Mahi Mahi dinner; both were wonderful. Matthew enjoyed it so much he even got a shirt to remember it by.

After dinner Matthew wanted to keep partying since it was our last night out. We headed to a little place called Tiki's. While there, the guy at the next table over kept commenting on how nice we looked together. He like us so much that he went up to the band and had them dedicate a song to "Matthew and his new bride". That's Matthew and I dancing to the sweet sounds of Somewhere Over the Rainbow as played by a local Hawaiian guy on the ukulele. It was a ton of fun and we had over a hundred people watching us. Without the big white dress on it was much easier to move around. We ended the evening by posing with one of the tikis.

Last Full Day

For our last full day in Hawaii, Holly and I are just sitting on the
beach under an umbrella relaxing. Holly just finish some more shaved
ice. This is my current view from my shady chair.

Relaxing Day Around Waikiki

Today started off with a nice trip to the pool. Sine Matthew and I were both a little burnt we decided on a place in the shade. After pool time we decided to take the guidebook's advice and head to a lunch location known as Moose McGuilycuddy's. Apparently they are the home of Hawaii's largest breakfast omelet. We went there for the early happy hour special and pork tacos. I have to say the Mai Tai was very tasty. Here is Matthew in front of the place.

After Moose we just walked around the little shops and returned to Matthew's favorite beach bar, Duke's. We had a few drinks and watched everyone on the beach and the boats come in. We then headed back to the hotel for a short nap and to get ready for our evening out. I decided that Matthew and I should get dressed up and take pictures around the hotel. The result is the picture you see below. Our hotel is gigantic and is filled with many nooks and cranny's. I forced Matthew to ask random people to take our picture which turned into him giving them specific directions on what he needed in the background of the shot. It was hysterical! Here we are in front of one of the many waterfalls on the grounds.

Since Matthew and I first arrived here I have been dying to get our pictures taken with tropical birds. There are multiple hippies on the beach that own birds and have made their business out of it. How often in life do you get the chance to have your picture taken with ten exotic birds at one time? After a week of slow and constant pressure, Matthew finally caved and we have my favorite pictures of the honeymoon. The little white bird on Matthew's shoulder was not at all happy with us and was squawking constantly. In one picture he even was flapping his wings into Matthew's head. It was great! Please note that there is a bird hanging for his finger as well.

Here is another picture of us at the hotel. Please note the strategically placed tiki torch in the background. That took three attempts to capture on film.

Finally, we ended the evening at the Ocean View restaurant. We got a table overlooking the ocean; if you look over my shoulder you can see the waves rolling in. We had a wonderful, all out dinner here. We started with coconut encrusted lobster skewers. Then we had a small mishap when they messed up our main entrees, but it was quickly corrected. The added bonus was that we got to try the seafood bisque for free while we waited. I had Opah and Matthew had blacked Mahi Mahi stuffed with crab. Since it was our honeymoon, the owner of the place came to our table and talked with us; he even took our picture. We thought that that was a little weird but hey. Turns out that he brought us a free dessert with our picture in a little frame that said thank you for spending your special day with us. Awesome place to eat! After a dinner that good, Matthew and I walked along the beach and then headed for home. It was one of the best evenings on the trip.

Learning to Surf

It took a while to get the surfing pictures from our Sunday trip, but they are finally here. There was a ton of paddling involved and we are still sore, but getting up on a wave was really fun. I can see why people get really in to this. It took Holly quite a few tries, but she did get up for a few seconds. Here is her early attempt.

Here is Holly toward the end of the lesson. She was getting much better at getting all the way up.

I actually did better early on in the lesson. After my arms got tired, I started face planting into the ocean. Sorry, she didn't take pictures of people face planting, but I think she should have.

Trip to the East Shore

Today Matthew and I took our last trip around the island. We rented another mustang and took off for the only part of the island we were yet to explore...the East shore. I made Matthew stop at every scenic view sign we say. Here I am in the Stang with the ocean to my left and the beautiful Hawaiian mountains to the right. Despite my big hat and sunscreen, I still got burned today. We should have put the top up sooner, but it was too much fun driving around in the breeze.
Here Matthew and I are in front of a big mountain.

The second stop of the day was a group of cliffs near the sea. When the water hit the rocks it looked just like the scene in the Little Mermaid when Ariel popped up on the rock. Seriously. The water was really blue too, some of the prettiest I've seen so far. We continued down the road and stopped at a little roadside stand called Keneke's. We got great pulled pork sandwiches and plates. It was so tasty that Matthew and I returned later in the afternoon for a shaved ice, see previous Matthew post.

Matthew and I then got back in the car and drove to the beach. Here we are on the beach goofing around in the shade. We went to another beach after this but it was so windy I kept getting pounded with sand. We finally ended up getting back in the car and heading to the "Valley of the Temples". It was really a big cemetery with a bunch of Buddhist and other random temples. It was pretty interesting to see another religions church, and the architecture was cool too. The best part was that you could feed the birds right out of your hand for a dollar. There were also a bunch of Buddhist peacocks and cats hanging around too. Here is a picture of me in front of the temple grounds.

Finally, Matthew and I changed clothes at the beach and headed to another local suggested dinner spot. Tonight we ate at "Buzz's". It was a really good steakhouse and salad bar. The only negative was that they only took cash and we had to go to an ATM. Here we are standing in front of the place. If you look very closely you can see "Buzz" on the mailbox. It was a great eighth day.

More Shaved Ice

Hawaii seems to be covered with shaved ice stores. Holly is taking
advantage of this phenomenon.

On The Move Again

Surfing was yesterday's adventure, but we had to wait until today to
get the picture CD. I'm sure holly will post those later tonight.

Today we have the car again and are heading to the east shore. This
will be our last car trip, so we are making the most of it. The
picture is from our first scenic stop taken with my phone.

Black Mustangs, Pearl Harbor, and a Luau

Today Matthew and I started the day off with a trip to Pearl Harbor in a black mustang convertible. It was neat to see all the different artifacts from WW II. There was even a survivor there but I was a little to emotional to talk to him. Here's a picture of Matthew at the controls of a machine gun like the ones used in the attack. After Pearl Harbor we headed for the Polynesian Cultural Center for a luau and some Epcot-like entertainment. However, along the way I made Matthew stop at a roadside stand for some fresh fruit and some local flavor. I got the fresh coconut chips and Matthew had papaya with a apple-banana...yummy! The old lady at the stand would have been worth the stop alone, but the fruit was tasty too. After our fruit fuel up we got back in the car and headed to the PCC for some learning. When we arrived we saw a canoe parade of all the different countries. It was pretty cool to see all the native costumes and dances. We then headed to a few different countries and an Imax show about coral reefs. After all that jazz we final got to sit down for our big luau dinner. We received leis as we entered; I had been waiting all week to get one. It was an amazing dinner with wonderful pork, purple sweet rolls, raw salmon, and weird coconut pudding. The highlight though was when Matthew and I got to dance on stage to the traditional Hawaiian wedding song because we were on our honeymoon. It was AWESOME, and Matthew was a very sweet husband! After all the food we headed into the stadium for a wonderful dance show with performers from around the Pacific. All in all it was my favorite day so far...and that's saying a lot!

Visiting Pearl Harbor

Holly and I are currently at Pearl Harbor awaiting our tour time at
11:30am. Here is a picture of the USS Bowfin parked the waiting area.

Learning to Sail

Yesterday Matthew and I relaxed by the pool all afternoon in an effort to be ready for our big sailboat trip that evening. We boarded the ship Makani, which is Hawaiian for wind, at around five. We shoved off at six and got some great views of the island. We also received a simple dinner and some drinks, which made the trip just that much more interesting.



Matthew boarded the boat and made a b-line straight to the seat next to the captain.

This is a picture of Matthew sitting in the chair right next to where the captain sits. I eventually climbed up there with him and we got to hear great stories from Captain John. He was great and was very funny and personable.





We also had the best seats in the house for the sunset and fireworks show. The fireworks were set off from one of the beaches at our hotel and were pretty spectacular. The reflection off the ocean was beautiful.

This is Matthew and I with the sunsetting behind us. Captain John took the picture. He also let me take the wheel for a few seconds. It is safe to say that I am not suppose to be a sailor and/or boat captain.

After the sailing trip, Matthew and I headed to a local favorite for dinner called Ryan's, not to be confused with the steak house back home. We split some appetizers, had some locally brewed beer, and ended our evening on a high note. We the scampered across the street and caught a cab home.

I few more pictures from yesterday

Holly is currently getting ready for our sailboat trip we are taking this evening, so I thought I would upload a few more pictures from our trip yesterday.

Here is the view from the top of Diamond Head overlooking Waikiki beach where we are staying. It was a rough walk up, but Holly even admitted it was worth the effort for these views.



Here we are a few steps from the top overlooking the other direction over the ocean.



After Diamond Head, we went snorkeling in Shark's Cove. We took some snorkeling pictures on a waterproof camera, so we'll have to wait until we get those developed.


Our final destination was Turtle Cove Resort. It is on the North Shore, so it is not nearly as crowded as our side where all the action is. They do have an awesome location for a resort. Here is their bar and pool overlooking the ocean.





They also have a good West facing area for taking in the sunset. We found a nice spot and enjoyed some drinks as the sun set.




We ate at the Resort's restaurant right on the beach. They gave us a table in front looking down the beach.




Here is the view off the end of our table.

Trip to the North Shore

Today Matthew and I rented a car and went exploring around the North Shore. The beaches were beautiful, and I felt super cool in our red Mustang convertible. There it is in all it's glory in the parking lot of some Hawaiian temple. We started the day off climbing the island's old volcano, Diamond Head. I have to admit that I complained all the way to the top. There was a staircase of about a hundred stairs that seemed to go straight up for a mile! Exercise is not my thing, but once we were at the top I have to say it was worth it.


Matthew and I then got back in the car and headed for the shore. We stopped at a local place that everyone recommended called "Joe's". I had an awesome fish taco and Matthew, not surprisingly, a chicken sandwich. This is the two of us sitting in front of our table. It seems like no matter where we go we always get a good view. We then headed to Shark's Cove where we attempted to snorkel. Matthew dropped my snorkel pretty early on, so I had to hold my breath and surface every thirty seconds or so. This seemed to work out better for me anyway because with the snorkel I kept inhaling salt water. We then showered up and took off for Turtle Bay. While at TB we got to see the sunset over the water; it was beautiful. We then had dinner right on the beach, that's us there. It was an amazing fourth day.

Two must-dos checked off the list

After climbing to the to of Diamond Head crater, Holly and I drove to
the north shore for lunch and Matsumoto's famous shaved ice. These are
two land marks that are a must see in Oahu. We are now headed to
Shark's Cove for some snorkeling.

3rd Day - exploring the lagoon and drinking with Joe

Matthew and i started our third day off in a wonderful way; there was a beautiful rainbow right outside our balcony. It misted for a few minutes, and then we were able to see the largest rainbow ever. Unfortunately, we did not find the pot of gold. We then headed to the pool for some time in the sun. Matthew is determined to not burn, which is nice because I am getting a tan this way. Normally I burn, but not with him looking out for me; yet another reason Matthew rocks. Anywho after that we decided to rent a two person surfboard and paddle around the lagoon. It only took a few minutes to get our balance and get over the fear of falling in the water. This is a picture of Matthew navigating our board. We then headed to the little tiki hut bar for some tropical drinks; it was a fabulous afternoon.

Dinning with Duke

After shopping all day Matthew and I decided to relax and have a good meal at "Duke's". It's a local seafood place that celebrates the father of modern surfing. We scouted it out in the afternoon and decided it was so good that we should return for dinner. Matthew told them we were on our honeymoon and they gave us the best table in the house. We got to watch the sunset right on the water, not to mention some weird beach goers. Day two was wonderful!


Here is our fish dinner dinner of Opah and Mahi-Mahi

We lucked out and got seated at their best table right on the corner of their dining area overlooking the beach as the sun went down.