Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
2008 was a year Benny and Michelle will never forget. We rang in the New Year with the Nevaris and Team Gabel in Reno, but the rest of the year is a blur.
This year we were honored to witness the union of six of our friends, Jason and Melinda in Sovlang, Calif., Jeremy and Andrea in Elko, Nev., and Tammy and Chris in Graeagle, Calif. We wish them a wonderful first Christmas as husband and wife.
In January, Michelle's sister Colleen and her boyfriend Adam came for an action-packed vacation that included front row seats on The Price is Right, a visit to Grandma Kann's house in San Diego, and cable car riding in San Francisco.
Before parting with California, we toured Big Sur and Monterey. It was a fun trip up the Pacific Coast Highway with a stop at Ragged Point Inn, a hotel Benny knew only from the stories when the Volkmann family stayed there (pre-Benny) more than 30 years ago. Our last visitors were Benny's friend Chris and his girlfriend Ulrike, who made the long side trip to Oxnard during their vacation to Las Vegas.
Before leaving for Japan, the V-Team Farewell Tour made stops in 10 states. After many miles on the open and sometimes snowy and icy road, Benny and Michelle pulled into an awesome surprise party in Minneapolis hosted by Benny's sisters. Before we knew it, we found ourselves on a 747 and after 14 hours of travel, the V-Team landed in Okinawa on April Fools Day.
So where is Okinawa? It took us a while to find it on the globe as we circled our fingers around the Japanese cities. This tropical paradise lies 956 miles south of Tokyo. The island is 60 miles long and 20 miles wide with countless scuba and snorkeling spots. Everything goes at its own pace, and nothing happens in a hurry. The people are friendly, and have a great work ethic (many regularly work Monday through Saturday). We enjoy the local cuisine, especially sushi until the doctors put dietary restrictions on Michelle's fish consumption during the pregnancy.
Less than two months here, Michelle got island fever and flew the coup to join her sisters in Australia for two weeks. Rachel was studying in Newcastle, and it was the first time the three sisters slept in the same room for more than one day since Rachel was a baby.
Benny has settled in as the Public Works Officer for the five naval bases on the island. It is a bit different working on the Navy's small corner of an Air Force base, but only 45 minutes away is the naval port. He has 48 people that provide facilities planning, engineering, environmental, repair, and transportation services to the Navy. As the aviators describe public works, “they're the people you call when you have a clogged toilet or when the power goes out.” We haven't seen too many clogged toilets, but you'd be surprised how often bats (with a 2-foot wingspan) fly into transformers and knock out the power.
Michelle answers customer complaints as a consumer relations specialist for Marine Corps Community Services. MCCS is the organization that provides gyms, restaurants and daycare centers for the seven Marine Corps bases on island. She also writes a monthly restaurant review for the marketing department's magazine.
Michelle and Benny went to a Navy conference in Waikiki in July. We would have never guessed we'd find ourselves in Hawaii again so soon, but thankfully it was on the Navy's dime. We got to see friends we hadn't seen in years, and swap sea stories, which didn't take long with only 5 years in the Navy.
We spent Thanksgiving on mainland Japan in Osaka and Kyoto. We thoroughly enjoyed viewing the fall colors and touring the historic areas of Japan.
The V-Team is eagerly awaiting the arrival of Baby Volkmann on or about March 1. We plan to visit the States this summer to celebrate more weddings and introduce either Olivia or Jack to her/his American family.
Wishing you a wonderful Christmas and many blessings in the year of the Ox (2009)!
The Okinawan Volkmanns
2 comments:
Best Wishes! There will be beer if you decide to come down the Yuma way.
Mmmm, beer.
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