Michelle Obama: Trips 
to Hawaii are one reason 
I married the president

When it comes to picking a spouse, first lady Michelle Obama suggests choosing one who was born in Hawaii.

President Obama and his wife are in Honolulu for the 2011 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit. The first family is returning next month to the Aloha State, Obama’s birthplace, for its annual holiday vacation there.

Michelle Obama, speaking at the APEC Spouses Luncheon on Sunday, told the crowd that trips to America’s 50th state helped convince her that the president was the guy for her, saying, “Our family has the privilege of coming here — the burden of coming back here every year. And that’s really one of the reasons I married Barack.”

Over the years, Obama has been spotted during his family vacations in Hawaii grabbing shaved ice with daughters Sasha and Malia, taking a dip in the water and hitting the golf course. 

Amid laughs from the audience, the first lady added, “When I realized that this is where we’d be spending the holidays, I said, ‘Yes — I love you!’ ”

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