Happy 2009 and aloha! A lot has happened in the last couple weeks. I’ve welcomed a new year, a new husband, and a new home (Oahu, Hawaii) in to my life! It’s all been overwhelmingly wonderful, and no photos could do it justice, but I’ll try (with a seafood twist, of course).

First, the new year – Lloyd and I shared New Year’s Eve dinner at DC Coast with over 20 members of his family who just arrived in town for our wedding. For my appetizer, I had a very yummy tuna ceviche, served in – a sign of things to come – half a coconut.

Next, my new husband! Lloyd and I had all sorts oftasty seafood at our wedding, but since this was one night I didn’t have a camera in hand, I’ll have to wait until the official pictures are ready to show you. In the meantime, here’s a shot of our first dance.

Finally, our new home. We are stationed at Marine Corps Base Hawaii. It’s on the windward side of Oahu, home to some of the highest rated beaches in the world. Before checking in to base, we spent a couple days exploring Honolulu and Waikiki. The restaurant selection is fabulous, but the highlight was – hands down – the Little Village Noodle House in Chinatown. We shared the honey walnut shrimp and it was so silky, sweet, and scrumptious! More meals from this place are sure to come.

The windward side is less touristy, therefore there are fewer restaurants. But the ones we’ve tried are quaint and high-quality. We grabbed a nourishing fish sandwich from Uahi Island Grill in Kailua while we were out and about house hunting.

And while we haven’t found a place to live just yet, we have found a delicious Mexican restaurant in our neighborhood, Mexico Lindo, which is right up there in priority. Shown is our lunch of ceviche and mahi mahi tacos.

I think that brings us to present day. We’re staying in temporary base housing until we move in to our new, undiscovered home. So there will be a few flashbacks to the kitchenless days over the next couple weeks. But no complaints from this wahine – it’s sunny and warm and breathtaking here.