TheMilesProfessor, the HNL-SFO-Medford-DEN-DAL itinerary that you mention sounds like a really good possibility. How do I search for that and put it together on my own if I wanted to try and do that? Also, if I have to use US Airways miles for one of the two tickets, will I be able to book the exact same itinerary for both tickets?

Say we did go to Honolulu. What tricks would I use for hotels?

Thanks for all the help, I'm really learning a lot!