The Maryland Volkmann Project

February is only a week away

2012-01-26T15:22:00.000-05:00

February is only a week away and I finally feel like I've recovered from the month of December. We had three holiday parties, one ornament exchange, one Christmas-themed bunco, one date night to the Nutcracker and several potlucks. My calendar was packed and when the time came to celebrate on Christmas Eve, I was under the weather and exhausted. I may have overdid it ... just maybe.

December began with Benny's work Christmas party, my 32nd birthday and a hunt for the perfect Christmas tree.

Benny and I

Olivia's first Christmas tree. She "helped" cut it down.

Decorated by Benny while Olivia and I napped.

Olivia using the Christmas countdown that I had as a child.

This was the first Christmas that Olivia was involved and understanding that December is a special time of year. This meant daily discussions about not touching the Christmas tree ornaments or Baby Jesus. Olivia was obsessed with my nativity set from Japan.

One day we were at the store when an employee asked Olivia if she was going to bake cookies for Santa. Olivia looked at me with a panic face. "Cookies for Santa?" she asked. "Yes, we'll bake cookies for Santa," I answered. Then every morning we talked about when we would bake the cookies. I thought we should wait until December 23. Olivia wanted to do it today. Every day.

Benny and Olivia baked the cookies together on December 22. It was quite the stressful adventure. Not nearly as fun as when we were children. I wonder if our mothers were stressed out during this activity with us? Olivia was in full helper mode and wanted to do everything which translates to cookie dough and flour everywhere. She later cleaned up by rolling around in the flour on the floor.

Rolling out the cookie dough

Using the cookie cutters that I used as a child

Oliva is bored with cookies. She creates a mountain with the flour instead.

The end result. Olivia said Santa wanted pink cookies.

Cookies for Santa wasn't Benny's and Olivia's only project this holiday season. They also worked together on our family Christmas letter. Olivia was hands-on by painting her handprints on each and every letter. (Benny's idea, not mine.) I took photos of that project, but can't seem to find. I promise once I locate them, I'll post them.

Finally Christmas morning arrived. We told Olivia that Santa came and she was excited when she saw presents under the tree. Prior to that, we only had brown boxes delivered by "Santa" AKA the UPS guy or mailman.

Olivia immediately dug into her gifts. She went for the presents with ribbons first. Then asked "where are the ribbons and bows, Momma?" Oh, Olivia, Momma doesn't do bows and ribbons.

Eventually she reached for a gift that wasn't for her. It was for Benny. This created our first of five Christmas morning tantrums. Hmmm, we should have explained that Santa brings gifts for everyone in the family, not just Olivia. So every time a gift wasn't for Olivia, she started to cry. Wow. Imagine if she had to watch her seven cousins open gifts. The drama of the two-year-old.

I will not smile for the camera.

The gift she requested ... her own computer.

We must play with each gift after opening it. It was more than 2 hours to open gifts.

Olivia's reaction when I asked to take a photo of her in her coat from Grandma.

Each time, I asked to take a photo of Olivia with her gift, she said "NO!" and made a grumpy face. Nice. Holiday memories to treasure for a lifetime, right?

On December 26, Olivia woke up and asked "Did Santa come?" On December 27, Olivia climbed out of bed and asked "Did Santa come?" She eventually caught on to my answer about Christmas is only once a year and explaining what Santa was doing that particular day (drinking hot chocolate with the elves, napping with Mrs. Claus, feeding the reindeer, etc.) Olivia is lucky her mother has such an active imagination to keep up with her constant questions.

We experienced additional Christmas withdrawal when Benny took down the tree and decorations one night. After searching the house for holiday items during breakfast, Olivia came to this conclusion while looking at her new calendar.

"First we have baby. I become big sister. Grandma comes. I have birthday. We have Halloween. We have Momma's birthday. We have Christmas tree. We have wreath. We have snow. Then Santa comes!!!! Then Olivia opens presents!!!"

Giant grin by Olivia.

Place Your Bets

2012-01-14T20:57:00.001-05:00

It's January 14. Baby Valentino/a's due date is exactly one month away. And while Benny has a whole list of things to get completed before the baby's arrival, I thought I would work on the most important thing: the baby pool.

Is Baby Valentino a boy? Or a little sister, as Little O has predicted? For those of you who swear by the Chinese fertility chart, the "official" website predicts a girl. It correctly predicted that Olivia would be a girl.

Will it share a birthday with its cousin Hanna (Feb. 8) , auntie Patti (Feb. 12), or great-grandpa Donald (Feb. 13)? Will it be a holiday baby (Valentine's Day or Presidents Day)? Will it be a Mardi Gras (Feb. 21) baby? Or if it's way overdue, a leap-year bundle of joy (February 29)?

If you look back at historical data from Olivia's birth, a late, rather than an early delivery may be a wise choice. Olivia was born at 5 a.m. on March 8, exactly 24 hours before my induction appointment. I was 41 weeks, 6 days.

The winner for Olivia's baby pool was Auntie Colleen. Will she be a repeat winner? Or will there be a new winner? Remember the winner gets a prize from the V-Team. It will be cool, I promise.

Good luck and happy guessing.

RU really from Iowa?

2012-01-04T21:10:00.003-05:00

I knew that the Pinstripe Bowl was going to be a home game for the Rutger's Scarlet Knights, but I had to go to my first Iowa State football game in nine years. It was only 250 miles away, and Michelle said "you should go." I bought tickets before she had time to think about it and possibly change her mind. Were we really going to try and take Olivia and her uber-pregnant momma to NYC and possibly have baby Valentino in the back of a NYC cab, or even worse, a subway car? Not a chance.

Thankfully my friend was an honorary Cyclone for a day and joined me for our adventure to NYC. What kind of great friend would leave his house at 4am to be at yours by 6am, only to jump in a car and drive for 3.5 hours to catch a train and subway and be ridiculed by Rutgers fans for the next 90 minutes? Jeremy (after receiving permission from his better half).

Was it as easy for Jeremy to get permission to go? When I first asked Jeremy's better half (Andrea) if Jeremy could go, she answered with "Jeremy is not allowed to go." Thankfully she was only joking and started laughing after my jaw hit the floor in disappointment with a look that said "What did you do?" Andrea wished she had her camera to catch my reaction, I'm just glad she was only joking.

Back to the train. I knew it was going to be a long day when I walked on the train wearing my yellow Iowa State hat and was booed immediately, like a false start call before the train even departed. Thankfully these RU fans were good natured, and our conversation went something like this:
RU fans: RU really from Iowa?
Benny: No, I'm from Minnesota.
RU fans: Did you come all the way from Iowa?
Benny: No, I came from Frederick.
RU fans: Where is Frederick?
Benny: Maryland, but he (Jeremy) came from DC.
RU fans: Wow, we won't bust your balls so much. What time did you leave?
Benny: 6am for me, but 4am for him (and he's not even a Cyclone, now that's dedication).

The next fans on the subway had tailgated and had consumed more libations, and were doing the Rutgers chants all the way to the Stadium. Their chants were like a remix of being with Seabees. They somehow combined "RU" with "Ooh Rah" - it was impressive. On the subway, I was a classic picture of "Some of these things belong together, one of these things doesn't belong at all" with my yellow hat in a sea of red and white.

After the "RU, RU, something, something, Ooh Rah, Ooh Rah, something, something, Rutgers, Rutgers, something, something" chants faded on the train, my second conversation with a Rutgers fan went something like this:

Excited RU fan: We say RU, what RU?
Benny: a Cyclone
Excited RU fan: I know that. But we say RU, what are RU?
Benny: an Iowa State Cyclone?
Excited RU fan: No, no, no. We say RU, what do you say?
Benny: Oh, ISU.
Excited RU fan: whatta U?
Benny: I. S. U. - as in Iowa State University
Excited RU fan: shaking his head
Benny: Or we say Let's Go State!
Excited RU fan: Whatever
Benny: Is this the train for Des Moines?

Walking from the subway to Amy's B&B to drop off our bags, we passed a nice gentlemen who admired my yellow Iowa State hat and Iowa State pullover and let me know by saying "DAMN CYCLONES!" as we passed by him. I know he was nice because he followed it up by saying "Enjoy the game."

The Game: you need to score touchdowns to win. We didn't score one until the fourth quarter. A rough game to watch, but a fun one to be around other ISU fans in the bleachers... not so fun to watch the floozies spill beer behind us, all over the back of Jeremy's jacket.

Saturday morning we headed out and grabbed some grub at the Paradise Cafe (the breakfast burritos on the sign outside caught my eye). There was a smell that seemed to be everywhere. We determined that smell to be the beer on J's jacket or the subway. We later learned that most Midwesterners still appreciate a cheap lunch while observing the line of ISU fans that extended way out of Subway (or they were not going to be caught at Paradise Cafe).

We did visit the 9/11 memorial and are grateful to the memorial employee who hooked us up with tickets although we didn't have a reservation. It got me thinking about the events of ten years ago and how our lives have been changed since (as a result of 9/11 and events unrelated).

Other observations:
- The mumbling subway conductor "Ladies and Gentlemen, we will be arriv...., mumble, mumble, mumble."
- All the rules that apply to boarding a school bus in kindergarten do not apply at Newark Penn Station. Rather, they play a game of seeing if if all the people can make it off the train before all the people boarding are able to get on the train. I missed the orderly lines of the subway and train stations of Japan.
- I felt for the poor guy who was with his wife who apparently didn't realize that her poor husband had to experience the joys of boarding a train at Newark Penn Station every day for the last ten years. "OMG, this is retarded" she said. His response "This is nothing, I've been doing this every day for the last ten years."

All in all our adventure to NYC was well worth it, and I look forward to going again with Michelle, O, and Valentino/a. Hopefully the Cyclones can beat the Scarlett Johansson's next time.

(I forgot to post pictures, they'll come eventually... or maybe I'll forget)

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T23:07:00.000-05:00

No Sheep, No Starfish of Bethlehem

2011-12-19T23:15:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, I was pleased to find out that Olivia had a part in the children's Christmas pageant at our church. Olivia, along with the rest of the preschoolers, was chosen to be an angel. No speaking parts to memorize or recite. No cues. No exits or entrances. Just sit on the stage and be cute. Surely, my two-year-old could handle this role.

Then at the last rehearsal before the big show, the chaplain's wife offered Olivia the role of a lifetime, the Star of Bethlehem.

It was an adorable gold star costume where only her face would show. She would be center stage after Jesus' birth. I was delighted. Olivia wasn't impressed.

After trying on the costume, she immediately took it off and said "no." Another girl quickly took the star costume and put it on. Olivia cried out "Olivia be starfish." It's too late, little girl. Ah, Olivia, this is a tough life lesson learned. You gave up the star costume. You've been demoted to the herd.

Next Olivia was offered the role of sheep. She put on the soft white costume and danced around. She sat on stage and petted the boy dressed as the camel next to her. I was excited for her to be a sheep.

Sunday morning we arrived ready for her sheep debut. As soon as we walked into the chapel Olivia screamed "No sheep!"

She refused to wear the costume, despite coaxing from Benny and I and peer pressure from the other children. Instead she sat in the pew and petted her costume laying on her lap while occasionally yelling "No sheep!"

In her first Christmas pageant, Olivia was not a sheep, angel or starfish. Instead she was a stubborn two-year-old who refused to follow directions. It was the perfect role for her.

Still Scared of Santa

2011-12-15T22:08:00.000-05:00

I was reading an article titled "Who the h#@l is that? Taking your tot to meet the big guy for the first time? You've got to read this!" in December's Parenting magazine. The writer had a list of "do's and don'ts" for taking your child for the annual photo op with the big man in the red suit. She wrote that you shouldn't push them, let them watch other children climb on Santa's lap and bring your baby's lovey.

Hmmm. Benny and I followed none of this advice when Olivia had her picture taken with Santa on my birthday a few weeks ago. We simply placed our screaming and kicking child on Santa's lap and instructed the photographer to shoot. This was the result.

Olivia and Santa 2011

It's in line with Olivia's typical reaction to Santa.

Olivia and Santa 2009

Olivia and Santa 2010

This year, after the photo, Olivia ran to Benny's arms. Benny asked Olivia to give Santa a high five (which she did) and then an elf handed her a present. She was delighted. Benny told Olivia to tell Santa thanks for her gift.
"Thank you. Thank you very much," she said before running off with her present.

Maybe next year, she won't be quite as scared of Santa.

30 Weeks

2011-12-05T15:55:00.000-05:00

Only 10 more weeks ... but more likely 12 weeks left to go until Baby Valentino/a's arrival.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T20:29:00.002-05:00

Twisted Turkey Trail Tussle

2011-11-23T23:13:00.000-05:00

"Stop running," is a phrase that frequently comes off my lips.

Olivia runs in the library. She runs in the mall. She runs in the house. She runs in the grocery store. She runs in our neighbor's house. She runs at the park. She loves to run.

The only time she doesn't want to run is (apparently) during a sanctioned run in which her parents had high hopes and were excited to write about her first race. I was ready to write about how well she did and what a big moment this race would be in her 2-year-old life.

The race was the Twisted Turkey Trail Tussle at a nature preserve near Gettysburg. Benny signed up for the 10-mile race. Olivia and I signed up for the 1-mile family fun run.

I was confident that she would be able to complete the race without any problems. I was wrong.

As soon as Benny left us to run his race, Olivia started crying about how she wanted to run with Dadda. I bought a hot chocolate to coax her into running happiness. She drank the warm drink with a smile and then returned to whining.

When our race started, Olivia walked, holding my hand, at a snail's pace. It was the slowest Olivia has moved since the day she learned to walk. She cried for me to carry her despite my pleas of "just keep moving," sounding like Dory from Finding Nemo.

After one hour with an unhappy toddler and worried that Benny would finish running 10 miles in the same time it took Olivia and I to walk 1 mile, I spotted a shortcut. We walked down that hill and finished without an official time.

Olivia smiled when we saw Benny cross the finish line. I forgot to snap a family photo of us at our first turkey trot.

We'll try again next November. Maybe by then, Olivia will be ready to run.

Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly

2011-11-19T22:50:00.000-05:00

Follow the arrow to find Olivia.

She is growing up.

Our Little O is becoming more independent daily.

Recently Little O and I were watching the monthly puppet show at our local library. This month's show was titled "Mother Goose is Thankful for Books." The puppeteer asked for volunteers to act out the nursery rhyme "There was an old lady."

Olivia turned to me and said "I want to do that." I showed her how to raise her hand. She promptly raised her hand and was chosen to stand in the front of the room. She stood in line patiently. She listened to the librarian's instructions. She asked the puppet if she was OK when she swallowed a fly, spider, bird, cat, dog, goat, and horse. "Are you OK?" she said concerned.

Waiting for her turn.

In the end, Little O returned to me with a smile on her face. I had a smile too. I'm proud of my Little O.

Never Bake With The Three Lieutenants

2011-11-18T21:43:00.000-05:00

Cooking blogs. There are some really great ones out in the blogsphere. The ones written by regular people who love to cook and love to share their baking advice, so they write about their friendly relationship with their oven. Every ingredient looking edible. Every recipe is explained in detail. Every meal is photographed in the perfect light.

If I wrote a cooking blog, it would NOT be this type of blog. The featured attraction would be my many tragedies (and few triumphs) in the kitchen. I would joke about how Benny will never get fat on my cooking. Even though I don't write a cooking blog, I'm going to write about my latest blunder, tonight's meal: grilled Alaskan salmon and butternut souffle.

The salmon wasn't the issue. The butternut souffle was the problem child. I found the recipe in the CEC/Seabee Can Do Cookbook. This cookbook is a compilation of recipes submitted by military husbands, wives, retired military and active duty officers.

I adore my Can Do cookbook. There are more international recipes than your typical Iowa church cookbook. It's fun to see the names of friends and attempt to create a cheesecake that you ate at a Navy potluck five years ago. In short, I had faith in this Butternut Souffle recipe.

Doubt entered my brain when Benny, Olivia and I were assembling the souffle. The recipe seemed to be missing key information (for example, the size of the baking dish) and specific directions (it never said when to add the baked squash to sugar, milk, egg, butter, and vanilla mixture.)

But the author of this recipe wasn't just one person. It was three people. It said "Three Lieutenants" and then listed the ladies by name. Ha, ha. Three Lieutenants. It's like the Three Amigos. Hilarious.

Then Benny notices the names. He knows one of the ladies. He sends her a Facebook message giving her a hard time about the recipe. The next thing I hear is laughing from the living room. A baker (even a bad baker like myself) doesn't want to hear laughing when waiting for recipe hints.

The woman told Benny she doesn't know anything about that recipe. She doesn't even know if it's good or not. She tells Benny that Olivia should NOT eat it, in case it's bad. Apparently this Three Lieutenant thing is some kind of joke that was submitted by not three, not two, but only one of the lieutenants.

It's funny for them. Not funny for a starving pregnant woman and a hungry toddler.

This is how the souffle turned out.

Would you eat this?

Does this look good? Benny picked it apart with his fork. We decided to pass on this recipe. I reheated broccoli spears and leftover Stovetop stuffing to accompany the fish.

It was a disappointing dinner. I had high hopes for this souffle. Benny says I only wanted to make it because souffle sounds fancy. There is a bit of truth in that joke. But I really thought it would turn out good. I'm putting my Can Do cookbook back on the shelf. I need some time to recoup, so I'm eating chocolate fudge that Superbaker Becky made with me on Wednesday. Drowning my baking disaster in chocolate.

I'm also avoiding a dessert recipe submitted by The "Three" Lieutenants.

Is that a baby bump?

2011-11-05T10:44:00.000-04:00

Why, yes it is.

Taken on October 30.

That's right. Benny and I decided to roll the dice and try our luck on a second child. This pregnancy is completely different than the first one. When I was pregnant with Olivia, I seemed to be consumed by documenting every moment. I kept close records journaling my feelings about growing too large to wear my normal close, taking photos of the growing belly and measuring it every week.

This pregnancy, Olivia continues to have center stage. The terrible twos have set in and her demands seem to suck all my brain energy. This is why we have neglected to tell many people that I'm pregnant waiting instead for the belly to announce the news.

Taken October 10. Halloween Bunco. My neighbors find out the news.

The good news is this pint-sized distraction has helped the pregnancy go quickly. I can't believe that I'm already 25 weeks. More than halfway there. And looking pretty much the same size as when I was prego with Olivia. Compare for yourself.

Our due date is February 14. Again, we aren't finding our the baby's sex, so it will be a surprise all over again. I'm feeling good. No problems to report, but I'm starting to slow down as my belly gets bigger and bigger. I have trouble squeezing into small spaces and picking up things that fell on the floor. Most importantly, because of the due date and its association to a certain romantic holiday we have decided to call the baby Valentino/a until its birth date.

First baby bump photo. Taken September 12.

While in Kentucky, my belly pops out.

Taken the first week in October.

Look who is also prego. My cousin, Kel! We are due only two weeks apart.

Taken October 24. Olivia has started to notice that something is growing in my belly.

Which is bigger? The pumpkin or the belly?

Passing the Torch

2011-10-23T07:18:00.010-04:00

Last weekend the V-Team headed to Des Moines for a Kann family wedding. It was a great time to see family that we hadn't seen in a few years.

After landing late Friday afternoon on separate flights (another interesting adventure, but different story), a wonder dinner and beer sampler at Raccoon River in Des Moines, we crashed at our hotel.

Olivia eating spicy salsa that turned her face red. She is also drinking milk out of a glass. Miss Independent.

On Saturday morning, we (when I say we I mean O) had one thing on our mind: the P-A-R-K. We're still using spelling trickery until Olivia learns how to spell. There was just one thing in the way - breakfast.

But you are not reading this because you want to know that Grays Lake in Des Moines is lovely on a fall morning. An hour at the park, check. Quick trip to Target, check. Lunch at bland-should-have-driven-all-the-way-to-better-Mexican-food-at-Carlos-O-Kelly's, check. Back at the room flipping through college football games to round out a perfect fall Saturday, check.

That's when Michelle started doing here hair and things got a little bit blurry that I may have temporarily forgotten the reason we flew 1000 miles. That's where we pick things up.

3:00pm: Benny realizes he needs to get dressed, oh, and Olivia too.
3:30: Pulling out of hotel parking lot, we spot another one of Michelle's cousins leaving the parking lot and follow him until the GPS provides us the directions
3:50: We stop following the cousin because they took a left and the GPS says the church is on the right (one of the few times we'll solely side with the GPS)
3:55: Arrive at the church
4:00: Wedding
4:01: Olivia talks during ceremony, asks for the usual snacks and juice
5:00: Return to reception at hotel - try to occupy Olivia with cheese appetizer

Family Photo

5:15: Olivia discovers photo booth
5:18: Olivia wants to do photo booth, again, this time with her cousin Isabella (Michelle’s cousin’s daughter)

Since Olivia doesn't get to see her Great Grandma from California often (or since it was only the second time she's seen her since she was six months old), she was a little skeptical of giving hugs to family outside of the Dad, Mom, Grandma and Grandpa circle. That's when I recommended Great Grandma lure Olivia in with a cake pop. Soon after, Olivia's speed dramatically increased, and she circled the reception room and wedding party table even faster.

We discover Olivia's love for cake.

5:20-7:00: Olivia runs circles around the reception room, and takes more pictures at the photo booth
7:00: We get Olivia to sit still to eat a little bit of dinner, coaxing her to the table with a wedding cupcake
7:20: Back a the photo booth

Auntie Colleen and O in the photo booth.

7:22 - 10:30: Dancing, running, and, of course, more photo booth.

Around and around in the circle these 2-year-olds girls go.

10:45: Before the onset of an exhausted meltdown, Olivia gives farewell hugs and kisses and heads off her suite
11:00: Olivia asks for the Fruit Loops that were in her snack bag provided by the hotel. I oblige. She sits up on the bed, propping herself up with her pillow, extends her legs and crosses them, and proceeds to enjoy her sweet breakfast cereal snack as if she's watching a movie.

Seriously, you're not tired?

11:05: Michelle falls asleep.
11:06: "It's just you and me, kiddo, and you are not going to outlast me too."
11:07: Olivia asks to watch baseball. Thankfully there were no games on. Had we been on the east coast, the Brewers/Cards game could have still been on.
11:08: Lights out. It's not clear who fell asleep first, me or O.

But since O was the last one awake in the morning, and she slept most of the way back to Grandma and Grandpa's house, I'd be willing to bet there is a good chance that she outlasted both of us. And to think the original V-Team duo used to close down wedding receptions. Apparently we passed that torch to Olivia and didn't know it.

This story is based on real events and timelines are estimated based on authors recollection, which can be blamed solely on the cold and refreshing Boulevard beers he enjoyed that night.

Not since 2005

2011-09-18T21:37:00.001-04:00

Iowa State family photo

We are excited to say that the Iowa State football team is 3-0 for the first time since 2005. This milestone is a reason to celebrate in the Volkmann household and for Cyclone fans across the nation.

We are especially excited to be living in the States this football season. We have been enjoying college football Saturdays and NFL Sundays. Well, Olivia, not so much. She would rather watch Dora, Blue Clues, and Super Why. I have no doubt that she'll learn the joys of football.

In case, you haven't been following ISU as closely as we have, here is a season recap, according to me. The first game was against Northern Iowa. It's a non-conference game that is always fun to watch in the state. We didn't catch the game, but we still wore our Cyclone gear all day, despite some strange looks in Maryland and Virginia.

Next was the biggest game of the season: Iowa Hawkeyes. I had low expectations after the one point victory against the Panthers, but being loyal fans, we proudly wore our Iowa State T-shirts.

Family photo at Sesame Place

We spent the day at Sesame Place, a theme park for Sesame Street fans located 30 minutes north of Philadelphia. Benny and Olivia were climbing in a huge net thing, when my sister, Colleen, sent me a text message saying that the game was tied. I told her the sad news. We were at Sesame Place. She kindly recommended that we find a television. Impossible in such a family-friendly theme park.

The game went into overtime (for the first time in the rivalry's history) and Benny figured out how to use my smart phone to watch the game. We took turns doing Sesame stuff with Olivia and watching the game. While watching in line to watch Elmo's World Live, we saw the final score, Iowa State: 44, Iowa: 41 after three overtimes. Incredible! We high-fived each other as the New York and New Jersey families looked at us as though we were crazy. We looked like a commercial for a smart phone.

Finally, on Friday night after little O was in bed, Benny and I watched the Iowa State-Conneticut game. Again, it was a nail-biter and down to the wire, but the Cyclones pulled it off. Final score: 24-20.

That takes us to where we are today: 3-0. We're planning to bask in this glory for two weeks. Iowa State takes on Texas on October 1 in Ames. Go Clones!

Gettysburg, Mount Vernon and a Pie

2011-09-07T21:42:00.000-04:00

As promised, here is the rest of the visit with my parents. After spending a long day in Washington, D.C., we decided to head north to Gettysburg, Penn. In addition to seeing the best museum about the Civil War battle, we also took an informative two-hour tour of the battlefields.

Olivia stay with the group, please.

It isn't Gettysburg until you take your photo with a cannon.

In addition to sightseeing, we also celebrated my mom's birthday.

Once again, we ventured down south, this time to see George Washington's home, Mount Vernon.

Olivia is unimpressed with Washington's dentures.

What's that sticker on Benny's T-shirt?

Martha and George's final resting place.

Olivia practices taking the oath of office.

Our final stop on this whirl wind tour of Washington, D.C.,-- Arlington Cemetery.

Olivia is a little annoyed with the daily group photo.

Mom and Dad may have been our first visitors, but I'm sure they won't be our last.

Summertime Reflections

2011-09-04T21:31:00.004-04:00

It's Labor Day. The official end of the summer. Where did summer 2011 go? It flew by, with a few photos taken, many more memories made, and not enough blog posts written.

This summer, Olivia and I went to Gettysburg three times. Yes, the history nerd in me rejoiced. Our first trip was Memorial Day.

Now Olivia knows to say hi to Lincoln whenever we are in town. And I think I'm one more tour away from becoming a qualified Gettysburg tour guide.

We visited West Virginia, hiked a bit of the Appalachian Trail (saw two snakes that day) and ate three meals in three different states. It's a baby step when compared with Benny's friend Steve who ate three meals in three different European countries. Still I'm including this Volkmann goodie in the Christmas letter.

Benny ran a Warrior Dash (a mud and fire race) near Washington, D.C. Olivia and I cheered him on and kept our distance until after he showered.

Olivia and I planted a small garden. We forgot to water our garden. We killed our garden. (More on that later.)

We ate custard at the same ice cream shop as President Obama. We visited Washington, D.C., a handful of times. We attended a Fourth of July party. We attended a 40th birthday party. We ate more hot dogs and hamburgers in the last three months than we have in the last three years.

Colleen and Adam came to visit. (More on that later.) We visited the Volkmanns in Minnesota and the Kanns in Iowa. Olivia met her extended family on the Wille side.

Movie night with her Hoel cousins.

The whole Wille family.

I baked more desserts this summer than I have in the last three years. I canned peaches with the help of Melinda and Andrea. (More on that later too.)

I bought a book about family trips to Civil War battlefields. We dragged Olivia to the Antietam battlefields with Jason and Melinda. History nerd rejoiced again.

Olivia licked her first ice cream cone. Olivia attended her first wedding. Benny went to his first Iowa State Fair. It was Olivia's first Iowa State Fair too. (more on that later.)

Summer 2011 may be gone, but it isn't forgotten.

Natural Disaster Preparations

2011-09-01T11:10:00.001-04:00

First there was an earthquake. Yes, an East Coast earthquake. How often does that happen? Apparently not very often.

Then there was Hurricane Irene storming north along the coast last weekend. She brought heavy rain and howling wind to our neighborhood.

It started last Tuesday when I felt the house shaking at about 1:45 p.m. Huh, that's strange, I thought. I haven't felt that since Japan. It feels like an earthquake. But that can't be right or can it? Yup, definitely an earthquake. Olivia didn't even wake up from her nap, so I classified it as a small one.

Next on tap was Hurricane Irene, which was downgraded to Tropical Storm Irene by the time she reached our neck of the woods. Being in the mountains, we were far enough west (out of Irene's 300 mile reach) that we didn't need to evacuate our home, but we did need to fill our weekend locked inside the house during the storm. Being familiar with typhoons on Okinawa, I elect to stay inside during these types of storms.

Olivia suggested we bake "pink cupcakes" using monkey cupcake liners that she previously picked out at the grocery store.

Meanwhile Benny built shelves for our garage and then organized the boxes stored out there for me. (Something that has been on our to-do list since moving into the house in April.)

After naptime, Olivia was happy to wake up to freshly baked strawberry cupcakes topped with cream cheese icing. It was a productive hurricane day for the Volkmanns.

For the love of chapstick

2011-08-28T21:19:00.001-04:00

We had two pairs of visitors this summer. First my parents came from Iowa to see our new home in Maryland and check out the highlights of Washington, D.C. Our daylong trip on the hottest day of the week (nearly 100 degrees combined with unbearable humidity) began with a tour of the U.S. Capitol.

Then we went on to the Library of Congress, where Olivia practices her fishy faces while her grandparents admire the architecture of the building and a special display on early maps of the United States.

We continued our walking tour of D.C. by passing the U.S. Supreme Court's building, stops at the National Museum of American History (where the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the Star-Spangled Banner can be viewed), the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, White House, Washington Monument, World War II Memorial, and the National Archives. There we waited in line trapped between two school groups of eighth graders to see the Constitution, Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence. One of the key things we learned from this day in Washington, D.C. is that 90 percent of 8th graders come to Washington, D.C. on some kind of school trip and 90 percent of them were in the city the same day as us.

We also discovered on this day that Olivia loves to put chapstick on her lips. And she isn't opposed to slathering it on her hands and checks. Chapstick is her new security blanket. It keeps her busy. It keeps her quiet. And it keeps the group sane during a daylong tour of Washington, D.C.

Here is Olivia and her chapstick, she calls "lips" during our day in Gettysburg.

The day started with heat and ended with rain and hail. We walked more than 7.5 miles in that one day. I took a total of seven pictures that day.

Loads of Fun

2011-08-13T22:19:00.002-04:00

Relocation can be a lonely. Moving to Maryland was our first military move with a child, which can be more challenging than moving as a dual income, no kids family. At least I find it more challenging. But to ease the transition (thanks for advice from smart military moms), I've enrolled Olivia in various activities to fill our week, provide interaction with other toddlers and hopefully meet other mothers (potential future friends).

I started with the Frederick County Parks and Recreation Spring/Summer schedule booklet. I flipped and flipped. Loads of activities for three year olds. Not sure for two year olds. Review booklet again. Must find activities for my two year old. The header "UK Petite Soccer" for 2-3 years old. Bingo.

A six-week introduction to the world of soccer for 2 year olds using a games-based approach, providing every child the opportunity to develop motor skills, social skills, coordination and general athletic ability in a stimulating, motivating, educational environment. Activities include fantasy role playing and are designed to maximize the number of touches a player has on the ball. Individual skills will be taught by OK Elite Soccer's Professional British Coaching Staff!

Ugh. An exclamation point at the end of a introductory paragraph. Who writes this stuff for the registration booklet? And why isn't it me? Minus the exclamation point, I was excited.

Week No. 1

We drive 30 minutes to the closest petite soccer complex. Every toddler has mom, dad, aunts, uncles and grandparents to photograph this big moment. A one-hour class to introduce the most popular sport in the world. Olivia has me. Every kid immediately slips on his bright red team T-shirt. Olivia refuses to wear her shirt.

But she is excited about her pigtails.

Week No. 2
Olivia sees another boy who doesn't participate the entire time. Instead he eats snacks and drinks juice the entire time. Olivia takes the cue and decides to quit five minutes into the class. She eats yogurt bites instead of kicking the ball. I'm frustrated that we drove 30 minutes for nothing. Benny reminds me that Olivia is a two year old.

Week No. 3
Olivia organizes several other toddlers to chase butterflies instead of participate in soccer. She picks up the cones with 10 minutes left in class and says she is ready to go home. Benny reminds me, the competitive mother, that she is a two year old. The coach, Ian from Ireland, tells me the point is for Livie (yes, he nicknamed Olivia) to have "loads of fun." Olivia gives him a high five after he says this statement. She still refuses to wear her team T-shirt.

Week No. 4
Benny has the day off of work and is able to participate in parent-toddler soccer. The temperature is over 100 degrees, so we are able to play in the elementary gym instead of sweating outside in the open grassy field. Livie does her best ever, kicking and running the entire time. No stopping for snacks or drinks. I'm so confused.

Week No. 5
Olivia wears the cone as a hat.

Week No. 6 (the last week!)
Auntie Colleen and soon to be Uncle Adam were in town. Colleen was eager to encourage Olivia to kick the ball.

Colleen also tried to get Olivia to wear her team T-shirt. She refused.

Then at the end, Olivia needed to kick the ball from the free throw line to the baseline to "score" a goal past her coach. Once she did that she would receive her certificate of completion. I really didn't think she would do it. And she refused until Colleen said the magic words "Olivia after you kick the goal, you can go home." Olivia nodded and ran to the line.

The fall/winter schedule of sports for the parks and recreation department arrived last week. Petite soccer is being offered again. Livie and I are going to pass. Even though it was "loads of fun." I'm thinking an art class may be a better fit for our little O.

Olivia's Dog-Sitting Service

2011-08-10T22:11:00.000-04:00

Olivia taking Precious, a neighborhood dog, for a walk

Olivia has her first job. It's Olivia's dog-sitting business. She can walk your dog. She can feed your dog. Luckily she has her mother to pick up after your dog while she talks constantly about the dog's bowel movements. Plus she works cheap, no payment needed as long as your dog can be walked by a 30 pound toddler.

Toddler Theatre

2011-08-09T21:39:00.000-04:00

How young is too young for a child's first live theatre performance? Normally I would say that five years old and under is too young to appreciate the choreographed dancing and live action singing without the ability to pause the movie for potty breaks. Unless, of course, that child is my two-year-old daughter, then she is the appropriate age for this experience. Plus I was really missing community theatre.

I have a soft spot in my heart for community theatre. Growing up, my mom would take my sisters and I to Elkader Opera House to see the annual children's musicals. It was a big deal to us to see "Peter Pan" and "Annie" and even though the actors and actresses were members of our church and teachers at our school, when I was a child, I truly believed that woman was Miss Hannigan. Somewhere there is a photo of a bewildered Colleen (my younger sister) shaking hands with Captain Hook. Musicals are part of my family memories and I couldn't wait to create new memories with Olivia.

I got my opportunity when I took Olivia to see "Narnia," presented by the Thurmont Thespians. I wasn't sure if she would sit through the entire show. But I hoped she would. Remember, I really really wanted to see it.

As the show began, Olivia sat quietly watching the children's production. She smiled as the kids sang and dance in their creative costumes. I thought this bonding moment was a success until intermission.

After a 15-minute cookie break, Olivia declared she was ready to "go home." Then she was intrigued by the lion until of course he was killed. (Another error for my rookie mother mistakes list. Must preview musicals before viewing and try to find ones that don't involve death.) So as the lion's mane and tail was cut off, Olivia kept passionately yelling "What's happening? What's happening? Get up lion!" This evoked chuckles from the parents while I whispered that the lion was sleeping. Luckily the lion returns.

In the end Olivia made it to the end of the show and clapped enthusiastically as the cast took their bows in this nearly three-hour show. I had a tear in my eye. Our first mother-daughter theater show. Sure it wasn't perfect or pretty. Still it was a show I'll never forget. One for the memory bank.

FFA floats, fire trucks and funnel cakes

2011-07-15T21:56:00.000-04:00

Those three things can only mean one thing: it's time for a parade and a carnival. I've been to parades for St. Patrick's Day, Fourth of July, Iowa State's VEISHA celebrations, and football homecomings. But I've never been to a parade for a carnival, until last night.

A few weeks ago, I read in the local newspaper that June 1 was the kick-off date to the summer carnival season. Summer carnival season??? I had no clue, so I asked my neighbor and she kindly explained that carnivals are a big deal in these parts. Every little town hosts a carnival as a fundraiser for their fire department. Last week it was the Emmitsburg Carnival. Before that Middletown. This week was Thurmont's turn.

The carnival started on Monday night and wraps up Saturday night. On Thursday night, they had a parade to ... um, huh, um... to lead everyone to the carnival/fairgrounds/rodeo grounds. Sure, that's it. Being a sucker for any and all small-town, old-fashioned fun, I packed the camping chairs and whined to Benny "we have to go." Benny says I had him at fire trucks.

This parade did not disappoint. It was your typical small town parade, including a pickup truck with the football players sitting in the truck bed waving the crowd, high school marching band of 12 students, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, old cars, old tractors, new tractors, dump trucks, fire trucks (in fact, I think every fire truck in the county was there, there were at least twenty fire trucks there. I said a prayer there wasn't a fire anywhere), RVs, and a senior group of swing dancers, a senior (citizen, not high seniors) marching band and baton twirlers of all ages and sizes. No joke. Which brings me to a theory of mine about the way to learn about your town is to attend a parade ... but back to the carnival.

Olivia spots a "bear."

O sharing her candy with strangers sitting near us.

After the parade, we walked to the carnival. Olivia's eyes got huge when she saw the rides. First, food, then rides, I told her. Olivia gobbled down her slice of pizza (I didn't have the patience to wait in line for a crab cake) in record pace, grabbed my hand and pointed to the Ferris wheel. Time for rides.

So boring, she says.

The ride that she loved.

I was concerned that Olivia wouldn't like to ride the ride by herself. She proved me wrong. She loved it and couldn't wait for more. She was a flash of blond hair, long Wille tongue hanging out of her mouth and bright blue eyes as she sailed around each corner. Just additional proof that she is definitely our daughter.

Newest Toy in the Volkmann Garage

2011-07-05T21:56:00.000-04:00

Photos of Father's Day Past

2011-06-20T20:50:00.001-04:00

Since I took us on a trip down memory lane for Mother's Day, I thought it was only fair to do it again for Father's Day.

Here is Benny and Olivia on his first Father's Day in 2009.

Here is Benny (Olivia was sleeping in the car) when we dropped him off at the Naha airport on Father's Day in 2010. Benny flew to the States for work stuff and arrived back on Okinawa late on Fourth of July. I didn't get a photo of O and him on either day. Sad face.

Then there is this year. Here is the father-daughter team in our front yard. It was after church and I'm trying to get a photo before they change out of their dress clothes.

In the afternoon, we went to a minor league baseball game in Hagerstown with our neighbors and our friend, Jeremy. Olivia enjoyed a tropical punch Italian ice at the game, along with running the bases after the final out.

Nothing says Father's Day

2011-06-18T22:34:00.001-04:00

Nothing says Father's Day like an afternoon at the local fishing hole.

Add caption

On Saturday, Benny got Father's Day started early with Olivia, a can of worms, and a Spiderman fishing pole. When we asked Olivia if she wanted to go fishing, she immediately yelled "yes!" and then called to the pond "Fishies! Fishies! Fishies!" while trying to climb into the water. Soon, Benny got her set up with a bait and a pole. Then the waiting began.

Luckily they didn't need to wait too long.

Catoctin Mountain, not Mountains

2011-06-07T22:22:00.000-04:00

Olivia crossed another milestone: she completed her first hike.

We took her, along with our friend Melinda, to Hog Rock, a 1-mile easy loop in the Catoctin Mountain Park, which is part of the National Park Service. According to our Fodor's Virginia and Maryland guidebook, the Catoctin Mountain Park is eight square miles of forest and rocky ledges. Add in mild temperatures on this particular Friday and it was the perfect recipe for Olivia's first hike.

Follow the arrow

We brought the hiking backpack to carry her, but she wanted to walk solo, so she did that (at a slow, slow pace stopping to collect sticks, leaves, and worms) until the vista. At that point, she told us to stop and take a photo "here!" We obliged.

Family photo on the mountain

Then she ran around, despite my plea to walk, while I took a photo at the vista with Melinda. Of course, Olivia fell. She wasn't upset until Benny took a photo of her on the ground. She tried to wave him off while Melinda and I laughed.

Don't take my photo, Olivia cries.

Meli and I

We finished the hike (with Olivia in the backpack) by identifying trees and poking at a harmless caterpillar.

Olivia loves to hike

Olivia loved every minute of it, even if it lasted more than the 45 minutes it typically takes to complete that loop.

I forgot

2011-06-04T00:02:00.001-04:00

I forgot how wonderful spring can be. It's been a long time since I've experienced the season of spring. Since 2002. Almost a decade. Without a spring.

I returned to the States in the winter and found the Midwest to be cold and covered in snow.

Olivia's minature snowman

No sleds, only swimsuits, for sale in the stores in March.

I arrived in Maryland to find no buds on the trees and a chill in the air. Then suddenly without warning, the wind shifted and soon birds were singing in the mornings, tulips had popped through and opened on Easter Sunday in front of my new home and yellow and white daffodils bordered every farm house in our county.

In front of our house, April 2011

In front of our neighbor's house

Spring had arrived. Olivia's new hobby was picking dandelions and handing them to me for safe keeping.

Picking at the Washington Monument

Picking at the local library's lawn

My new hobby was photographing the beauty of spring.

Random tulips in D.C.

This weekend, the temperatures reached the 90s and the humidity pushed down on us. It left me thinking about how much I missed spring and how could I ever forget about it.

The Mandatory Photo

2011-05-27T20:48:00.000-04:00

A long, long time ago, I lived in Wichita Falls, Texas. In this temporary home, I met my first of many friends, who happens to be a military wife. Brye, an Air Force spouse, taught me a lot about military life and some of that advice, I've taken with me and passed it along to other newbie wives and girlfriends (like I was at the time) in the last seven years.

One piece of advice that stuck with me was the term "mandatory fun." Mandatory Fun is an endearing joking term that encompasses those social events that are organized by your husband's workplace. It may a Friday night party to welcome new folks to a particular command or it's a Sunday afternoon baby shower for the wife of your husband's boss. Some are family-friendly picnics; some are babysitter-required dinners. Mandatory Fun is the social glue that seals military families together. I often wonder if Mandatory Fun happens in the civilian cooperate world. I would love to hear any insight on this one.

Officially Mandatory Fun activities are optional for the spouses, but if you want to spend time with your husband on the weekend, you find yourself there.

On May 19, I found myself at a Mandatory Fun event. It was the annual ball for the base here. It's an opportunity to reflect on military history and tradition. It's a time to introduce yourself to sailors who work with your husband and their spouses. It's a chance to get dressed up for an adult Navy prom.

Mandatory Ball Photo

For this year's ball, I bought a new dress instead of wearing one of the dresses in my Navy ball closet. I brushed my hair for the first time in days. Heck, I even curled it! I also wore contacts and make-up. Olivia stayed home with a babysitter for the first time since we left Okinawa in February. It was an adult night on the town for this new stay-at-home mom.

In the end, it was a good time with our new Navy friends. It just shows that mandatory fun can simply be fun.

May all your days be circus days

2011-05-18T14:27:00.000-04:00

When I was a child, my mom, my sister Colleen, and I along with my aunt and uncle went to a circus in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I can't remember if it was the Ringling Brothers (fun Iowa fact: The Ringlings lived in Iowa for a bit before getting their start in Wisconsin) or Barnum and Bailey ... or maybe those two American circus companies were already one at that point. But anyway, it was a long time ago and it was one of those great childhood memories. Everything seemed to be from a movie. It was magical. The night we went to the circus!

In February, I read in my hometown newspaper that a traveling circus was coming to Guttenberg while we were in Iowa. Immediately I emailed my mom and asked "can we take Olivia to the circus?" Her answer, "of course." It was very more fun after we found that Benny had never been to a circus. Never? Really.

Going to the circus in Guttenberg, we had low expectations. There were rumors circulated in town that an elephant would make an appearance in the high school gymnasium. No elephant was seen. But there were poodles (one of my favorite circus animals) and a pony.

We sat next to my grandpa and his wife and enjoyed the show. The gym was packed with children. I didn't even think that many kids lived in G-town anymore. We had great seats on the bleachers where we could see everything. Olivia went into Olivia the Observer mode, where she watched and listened without moving. This column that ran in The Guttenberg Press sums it up well.

And for the grand finale, there was foot-juggling, a lost art in the circus world, according to the MC.

Then a few days after we arrived in Maryland, we saw an advertisement for a circus that was coming to a town near us. Benny was out of town that week for work, but Olivia and I decided to go together. A mother-daughter day at the circus.

In this circus, there were nine tigers, three elephants, four camels, four horses, and a whole gang of dancing poodles. We got our photo taken with the poodles. Olivia begged me to also let her ride a horse, a camel and an elephant. I told her she had to be three years old before she could do that.

For the grand finale, they shot a guy out of a cannon. I think Olivia liked the foot-juggling more.

Mother's Day

2011-05-17T17:02:00.002-04:00

I recently read in a Parents magazine that in motherhood "the days are long, but the years go fast." Looking at Olivia this Mother's Day, I definitely understand the meaning behind those words.

Card from Benny and Olivia

Last year, we had a special day spent with my mom. Olivia was 14 months old and wasn't walking yet. She barely talked and instead perferred to use baby sign language.

My first Mother's Day was only two years ago. But it feels like a lifetime ago.

Hit the Restart Button

2011-05-01T21:56:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, February 25, we left Okinawa, Japan. We said goodbye to our friends the days prior to our flight. Many of these friends are in the Navy, Marine Corps or Army, so it wasn't hard to say goodbye to them-- in all likelihood we will see them again.

It's the friends who are Okinawans, like Benny's co-workers, my co-workers, and Olivia's daycare providers. These men and women taught us (with patience) about Japan for the past three years. Ask what I miss about Okinawa and without a doubt, it's the people.

Olivia received this Hello Kitty pillow as a farewell gift from her daycare.

After checking in for a military flight at 7 a.m., boarding at 9:30 a.m., stopping at two military bases in mainland Japan and surviving another (and hopefully last) Pacific flight, we landed at around noon in Seattle. We caught our flight to Minnesota and gathered up our six bags of luggage (!), two backpacks, one diaper bag, one purse and one toddler without losing anything or anyone.

I planned to take a photo of us with our avalanche of suitcases, but I was too tired, confused by the time change and plain dirty to orchestrate the documentation. Take my word for it: six suitcases. Picture it. It wasn't pretty.

I don't remember what was my first reaction to moving back to America. Mostly I felt like I was on vacation. In some ways I still feel that way. I keep thinking that I'm going back to Japan. I wonder how long until I realize that we aren't going back.

The first week back meant a lot of running around reestablishing our American lives. The restart button on our lives was pushed. The first thing we did was buy a brand new car, that was made in Japan.

Olivia's sweet 16 birthday gift.

Yup, our 2011 Subaru Forester was built in Japan and sold to us in Burnsville, Minnesota. No, the irony is not lost on us.

The Blog Break is Over

2011-04-24T21:57:00.000-04:00

Happy Easter from the Volkmanns!

Standing in front of our new house

You are probably wondering what the three of us have been doing and seeing for the last two months. We were homeless surrounded by friends and family members who were excited to have us back in the USA.

We are in the process of unpacking and settling in this exotic and faraway place called Maryland. But today, we took a break from the brown boxes and celebrated Easter in our new location.

On Saturday night, we hosted Jason and Melinda (Navy friends who live south of us in Virgina). Olivia welcomed them with a tour of our 3-bedroom, 2-bath duplex by saying "chair, TV, Olivia's jacket," pointing to random items. Yes, our little girl is talking more and more everyday, but most importantly she is repeating and repeating more phases that Benny and I say. Must think before I talk now, thanks to Olivia.

Today, after church Olivia participated in her first Easter egg hunt. Rookie mom that I am, I forgot the camera at home. But I did take a photo of her "scrambled egg" basket when we got home.

Olivia's scrambled egg basket

Olivia found an egg, opened it, dumped the candy out on the grass before putting the egg in her basket.

Olivia was happy with her basket of goodies from the Easter bunny. Including some new sunglasses.

How do I look?

202 Boxes

2011-02-17T06:29:00.000-05:00

I knew today was going to be a long day. I knew I would be tired at the end of it. I knew I would be exhausted, but I can't tell you why.

Today was the big day: moving day. We were at the house at 7:30 a.m. ready for the movers, expecting them to arrive at 8 a.m. At 8 a.m., the movers weren't there, but Olivia was 100 percent and ready to go. She ate breakfast, drank her milk and was complaining that she wanted to watch her movie. But there was no way to watch her movie. The laptop was at the hotel and the television was gone. She started whining. I quickly decided she was well enough for daycare, so away she went for the rest of the day.

At 10:35 a.m., six Japanese men arrived to pack our stuff. At 2:30 p.m., six crates were sealed and truck was driving away with nearly everything we own. Inside were 202 boxes filled with bybe (baby) cloths (clothes), Okinawa artwork, two Fuji hiking sticks, one queen sized bed, and numerous other things labeled "kitchen wear" or "bathroom items."

Time for the post-packing nap.

Operation MOAB MOO

2011-02-16T08:23:00.002-05:00

In the military, there is a code name for any plans to move troops from one location to another. The plan to invade Okinawa was codenamed Operation Iceberg. (remember that the next time you are watching Jeopardy!) So when we got orders to Maryland, while Benny was planning and preparing for the move, I was brainstorming code names for this permanent change of station called a PCS by the military folks. In the end, we choose Operation Michelle, Olivia, and Benny Move Off Okinawa or Operation MOAB MOO.

After months of planning, the execution part of MOAB MOO went into effect this week. We sold one car, the beloved green Mazda Demio named Favre (before Brett went crazy and turned purple.) We returned the government furniture and have been sitting on the floor since then. The Internet has been shut off in our house. We packed six bags of luggage and moved into the hotel on base. Today, the movers arrived to pick up the express shipment of household items.

Unlike the rest of our stuff, which will take eight weeks to get from Okinawa to Maryland, the express shipment arrives in approximately one month. But you are limited to 1,000 pounds of stuff, so choose wisely Volkmann family. You are suppose to pack essential items for survival in your new location. So we packed pots, pans, airbed, Olivia's crib, Benny's golf clubs, my heels, television, DVD player, and power tools. Survival items.

The plan for Operation MOAB MOO was for Olivia to be at daycare all day while Benny and I worked (childless) with the movers to pack up the house. That was the plan. The new plan is that Olivia is at home, sick with a weeklong stomach flu that has left our house smelling like poo and puke. I wonder if the scent will get packed up too. This morning she watched the Japanese movers rapidly pack up the express shipment. She was amused until she noticed the television was missing. Same with her crib. Palms to her checks, Olivia repeated "oh, no" all day long.

Oh no. My thoughts exactly little girl. Get well. Get back to daycare and try not to freak out when the movers pack up everything tomorrow.

Super Bowl Monday

2011-02-14T18:00:00.000-05:00

For the record, when I booked our trip to Sapporo, I never in my wildest dreams thought the Green Bay Packers to be in the Super Bowl. (Bad Packers fan, I know.) I watched the conference game on the edge of my seat. I wanted the Packers to win, but I also wanted to watch the game and I wasn't completely sure if the game would be playing in northern Japan. In the end, I packed my Packers scarf, and told myself that playing in the snow would be the perfect way to celebrate the Packer's Super Bowl game.

On Monday morning, we dressed in layers with snowpants and wool socks. It was the official kickoff to the Sapporo Snow Festival and we wanted to be prepared for the outdoor elements-- no snow flurries or football would keep us inside. The Super Bowl started at 8:30 a.m. local time and it was televised in Japan. Our tour bus left at 9 a.m. I didn't see one bit of the game.

After a one-hour bus ride and many game highlights/updates from my friend's iPhone, we explored Tsu-Dome. Tsu-Dome is one of the festival's sites and a bit of winter wonderland playground with several different sized slides that look more like luges than sledding hills. You can build a snowman or wait in line for more than 30 minutes to go sledding. We didn't wait in line. We will sled in Maryland without any line time. We paid 500 yen (approximately $6) and went snow rafting as a group.

Snow rafting: being pulled by a snowmobile while in a raft. Blue dork helmet required.

Olivia didn't complain, but she wasn't thrilled. Next, she went down a toddler snow slide about five times. On the sixth time, she started crying, so we went inside the dome to warm up. After a snack and drink, Olivia was checking out the indoor train. She had to ride on it.

While we were cozy inside the dome, a winter storm blew in, so we jumped on the bus to ride back to the snow sculptures. By that point, I knew the Packers won the game so I celebrated with a nap. It was a wonderful nap.

We explored the remaining 10 city blocks of snow sculptures before going out for dinner.

Olivia's first snow angel.

We celebrated the Packers' win cheese fondue and beer. Ah the Wisconsinite in me was overjoyed.

Benny and Olivia "cheers" their glasses at the restaurant.

Hugs

2011-02-14T06:33:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day from Olivia! We hope everyone has a super sweet day filled with giggles and smiles.

Snowmen, chocolate and Sapporo beer

2011-02-10T18:00:00.024-05:00

After flying all day from the southern most island of Japan to the northern most island of Japan (Hakkaido), we were ready to explore, but the Snow Festival doesn't start until Monday.

Sunday, February 6
Our first stop was Otaru, a sleepy fishing town that reminded me of towns in Colorado or northeast Iowa. The sun was out and the snow was soft and fluffy. There were snowmen around every corner. Olivia experienced snow for the first time. She walked around, deep in thought.

We walked through a music box museum (AKA Japanese for shop with a few old things, but mostly it's a store.) The museum had all kinds of music boxes for sale, including ones that looked like sushi and others that were moving Ferris wheels.

After lunch at a Sushi-Go-Round (delicious!), we went to a chocolate factory. Here again we walked around, and saw the chocolate cookies being made, but that was about it. We didn't have enough time to make our own chocolate at the factory. Boo.

Dinner was at the Sapporo Beer Garden, here we had all we could eat and drink in 90 minutes. Too bad we had to cook the food ourselves on a table grill. Benny was in charge of making the lamb, beef and seafood along with some veggies. He also kept a steady stream of beer glasses coming for the group. Olivia preferred the rice and ate an entire dish of it.

After dinner, our tour guide said the festival wasn't started yet, but they were testing the lights. So we headed to the festival and got our first look at the snow sculptures. Breathtaking.

Sapporo Snow Festival

2011-02-10T08:25:00.000-05:00

Five years ago, my sister Rachel gave me the book "1,000 Places to See Before You Die," and I put it on the shelf and didn't think about it again until we moved to Japan. As I was planning our travels in Asia, I immediately opened this book and read the eight must-see places in Japan. Immediately I worked to check things off the list.

Cherry Blossoms. Check.
Climb Fuji. Check.
Kyoto. Check.
Tsukiji Fish Market. Check.

When we got news that we would be moving to Maryland in March, I soon realized that I wouldn't be able to do everything that I want to do in Japan, but there was one last must-do thing I had to do: the Sapporo Snow Festival.

According to the book, the festival started in 1950 after some high school students sculpted six snow statues. Today, two million people visit the festival and 38,000 tons of snow are trucked into the city of Sapporo for this one-week festival in February. The sculptures are as large as buildings and have impressive details. At night, they use lights to accent the snow.

Sapporo Snow Festival. Check.

A Quiet Christmas

2011-01-24T18:27:00.000-05:00

Since we were out late on Christmas Eve, we slept in until 10 a.m. on Christmas Day. We relaxed. Olivia opened a few small gifts that I brought along. We watched Christmas movies on the television before heading out at noon for another day of fun in Sydney.

As I briefly mentioned before, Australia celebrates Christmas during the summer. It tends to be warm and sunny. And when we asked the few Aussies that we know for advice on how to celebrate a traditional Australian Christmas they all said the same thing: go to the beach and eat food made on the barbecue, or as they call it, the barbie.

Further research showed that this time at the beach is a big drunk fest and not the Christmas atmosphere we wanted to expose Olivia to, so instead we opted to go to one of the few places opened on Christmas Day: Sydney's Wildlife World.

There, with a bunch of Indian tourists, we learned about the wild animals of the outback. We saw a crocodile eat a chicken. We petted a sleeping koala and paid for our picture to be taken with it. And we watched the sleeping kangeroos.

Eventually we found oursleves in a Lego room and Olivia was in heaven.

Apparently there was some kind of special Lego displays at popular Sydney attractions while we were there. Olivia loved them and said "cheese" everytime we took her photo in front of one.

After touring the city, we walked to the hotel where we enjoyed room service and a movie. A quiet Christmas. A peaceful Christmas. My kind of Christmas.

Christmas Eve

2011-01-22T06:50:00.021-05:00

This week I was kindly reminded that I've been lacking on finishing up the blog posts about our Christmas in Australia. Thanks for reading and thanks for the nudge that I needed.

Back to Christmas Eve. Location: Sydney, Australia.

The grand plan was to attend church on Christmas Eve. We had two options: St. Mary's Cathedral and St. Andrew's Cathedral.

Two cathedrals. Two services. Two choices.

In the end we decided to attend St. Andrew's. Its service started at 11 p.m., which seemed a little more reasonable than the midnight mass at St. Mary's.

Our evening started with pizza at a small cafe near our hotel. Then we walked the streets looking at the Christmas lights, admiring the holiday displays at the department stores and laughing at the Australians who were out partying and wearing very little clothing. Maybe that's what happens when Christmas is held in the summer instead of the winter.

Our first stop was the Queen Victoria Building. The stores were closed, but the doors remained open so that holiday visitors could take in the large Christmas tree in the center of the building. It's hard to tell from these photos, but the tree is several stories high.

Then we rolled Olivia in her stroller down to David Jones, a department store similar to Macy's that does a special window display for Christmas. This year, the store had six displays that featured moving puppets illustrating various Christmas carols. Olivia loved it. We were standing at the first display for The First Noel, when the music suddenly stopped playing. Ah, the Aussie said standing next to me, they cut the music at 10 p.m.

The next stop was a government building next door to St. Andrew's, where we stood and watched its light display.

At 10:30 p.m. we walked into the historic church and took our seats. We thought by this time in the evening, Olivia would have fallen asleep. She wasn't. In fact, she was going strong, digging through the bag of goodies given to her when we entered the church. Several people suggested that we move to the crying room. Olivia looked offended. We stayed in our seats. Then the Australian family behind us started talking to Olivia. "Aren't you up past your bedtime little girl?" the man said. Olivia again, was annoyed and returned to her coloring book.

At this point, I struck up a conversation with the young woman sitting next to me. She kindly explained that she was from Iran and studying computer sciences at a university in Sydney. She said that she attended a different Christmas service each year as a way to learn about Christianity. She asked if I had ever been to the Middle East. I told her I haven't had the opportunity yet.

Olivia immediately liked this woman and continued to color with her the rest of the service. We were surrounded by people from Taiwan, China, India, England, Japan and it was an amazing feeling. To celebrate Christmas with people from around the world. It's something I won't forget anytime soon.

Another thing I won't forget is the pastor's sermon. He talked about baby Jesus and if Jesus was born today what would he be like. Like perhaps if he was born in the United States, the pastor said pointing to a PowerPoint presentation projected on a large screen, he would live in Hollywood and would be a famous actor. Up popped a picture of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Then one of Brad Pitt.

If he was born an Australian, he would be a famous athlete, the pastor finished and up popped photos of cricket and rugby players along with Olympic athletes.

In the end, it was a wonderful Christmas Eve service. Olivia didn't cry once. The choir and orchestra was talented and definitely made a joyful noise. When we walked to the hotel at 1 a.m. I had a feeling of being blessed to spend Christmas in such an amazing country.

Sydney Christmas: Day Two

2011-01-04T05:55:00.021-05:00

Two weeks before our trip to Australia, the tour company informed us of "great news": they upgraded our half day city bus tour to a full-day bus tour. Everyone on the tour was excited about the whole day of fun for the same price, except for Benny and I. We groaned. Olivia's never been on a bus tour before, let alone a daylong one. Would it work?

We started the day early. Olivia was excited to be sitting in her own seat, looking out the window. Maybe this won't be so bad after all. Then the bus stopped at the next hotel and waited to pick up other guests and after three minutes of waiting in a still bus, Olivia wanted to move. So we pulled out her crayons and brand new coloring book from Grandma Donna and let her color to her heart's desire. Or at least until the first stop on the Sydney City Tour.

Our first stop was across the harbor from the Opera House. It was a lovely lookout with picturesque views of the cityscape. While the rest of our tour was getting photos of themselves to post on their Facebook pages that evening, Olivia was running after a group of pigeons who had settled at the park under the bridge.

We continued on our way, stopping at various lookouts with different views of North Harbor, South Harbor and Middle Harbor.

Olivia was apparently still sleepy after our day of fun on Dec. 23, so she caught a cat nap when we had a 45-minute stop at Manly Beach.

On and on we went, riding the bus and drifting to sleep ourselves. Our Kiwi (New Zealand) driver had a calming voice that seemed to rock everyone to sleep. But if you could understand him (which was a bit hard at times with the accent), he was saying hilarious things that were not appropriate for a family bus tour. Benny wrote them down in a small notebook, chuckling to himself the whole time. If you're lucky, he'll post them later this week.

Finally it was lunch time and time for our harbor lunch cruise. We had to wear stickers to identify ourselves as part of the group. Olivia placed her sticker on her belly and proceeded to play peek a boo with her sticker.

We ate lunch in shifts since Olivia had ample energy after her Manly nap and wanted to run! While the rest of the guests were outside in sunny weather taking photos of the Opera House, Olivia was running back in forth in the cabin between Benny and I. We were working to wear her down before the afternoon part of the tour. I was impressed with how well she could run in the cabin. It turns out our little O has sea legs.

After lunch it was back on the bus and the first stop was the Botanical Gardens. Again there were birds to chase and dirt piles to play in. All in the quick 20 minute stop.

Then we went to Bondi Beach, one of the most famous beaches in Australia. It is where everyone in Sydney was planning to celebrate Christmas with sunbathing and barbecuing. It is also the first place where there were lifeguards (called lifesavers by our tour guide) were put in place, way back in the 1920s. There Olivia had a snack and attacked the playground. She ran and played with Aussie kids her own size, but at times it seemed like the little ones were confused by each other's unfamiliar accents.

More quick lookouts and drive-by photo shoots, then it was back at the hotel around 5 p.m. Olivia survived her first bus tour! And without a tantrum! Or screaming! It was a family dream come true.

But it was Christmas Eve, so while we were done with our daylong bus trip, we still had Christmas to celebrate.

Traveling with a Toddler

2011-01-02T00:50:00.009-05:00

Back in the fall, we saw an advertisment for a trip to Sydney, Australia for Christmas. It sparked an idea. What if we flew to Australia for Christmas? Doesn't that seem like an appropriate way to spend the holiday? Add another stamp to Olivia's passport? It will be summer there, so the weather will be sunny and warm. We can spend the holiday on the beach. Plus they celebrate a Christian Christmas there, so it will feel a bit more like home. And there is the best part: They speak English there.

After pinching some pennies and packing some suitcases, we met our tour group at 9:30 a.m. on Dec. 22. The bus was ready to go. We were ready to go too: All we had to do was change Olivia's diaper, get her a snack, fill her juice cup and finalize our Visa paperwork. Slow. That's how you travel with a toddler. We were the only family with a child on the trip and the rest of the group was annoyed with us at first. But I ignored them and smilied when they rolled their eyes when they saw how much stuff we had. While the rest of our group had minimal luggage for the 7-day trip, we had two suitcases both approaching the 45-lb weight limits. Guess we won't be buying much in Australia.

We climbed aboard the bus and headed to the airport for our flight to South Korea. Yes, we had to fly 2 hours north to fly 9 hours south. If only there was a direct route between Okinawa and Australia, all would be good.

After checking into our flight, we got a quick lunch. Olivia proceeded to knock my water glass over, getting herself all wet in the process. Ah, traveling with a toddler.

We arrived in South Korea with no problems. Our layover was 5 hours long, so we had time to kill. Luckily the airport had a indoor playground and Olivia played there with coming-and-going traveling children from around the world for the next 3 hours. After that she feel asleep. Our plan was to keep her awake until the flight ... apparently she didn't get that memo. Just because it was a red-eye flight, doesn't mean that Olivia wanted to sleep on the plane. She wanted to watch Toy Story 3, which she did at least 3 times during the flight and cry for her bed. Ah, traveling with a toddler.

By noon on Dec. 23, we were in Sydney, ready for our first day of holiday, as the Aussies call it. The weather was beautiful, so we ditched our suitcases (we couldn't check into the hotel yet) and walked to Darling Harbour. This popular tourist destination was within walking distance of our hotel (Olivia's stroller riding distance) so we headed toward the water and went to the Sydney Aquarium. There, Olivia was excited to see a crocodile, lizards, sharks, stingrays and all kinds of colorful fish. She ran around the entire place, pointing and saying "fish" over and over again. She even surprised us by saying words like "turtle." The excitement. The energy. Ah, traveling with a toddler.

On the walk back to the hotel, Olivia fell asleep, so Benny and I took advantage of the adult time and strolled to Sydney Tower. We took in the sights from the largest building in the city while O snoozed.

We finished the day with a multi-course dinner at a lovely Greek restaurant. The food was outstanding and filling. Olivia wasn't a fan. She enjoyed her lunch of chicken nuggets at the Aquarium more and choose to color in her coloring book during dinner.

In the evening, we collapsed into bed. We survived day one of our vacation. I wonder how day two will go.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T11:01:00.000-05:00

Ever since we started our cardboard engines in October

2010-12-21T11:05:00.004-05:00

our little O has tried to get into every box she finds, big or small.

It's beginning to look

2010-12-16T08:22:00.004-05:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the Volkmann house

Birthday Cupcakes

2010-12-04T00:42:00.003-05:00

Tonight's the party. We have a plan of pizza, cupcakes, and karaoke.

What I'm Thankful For

2010-11-29T07:14:00.005-05:00

This Thanksgiving is our last Thanksgiving in Okinawa. I had a plan for a low-key, tradition Thanksgiving. My co-worker Dianne invited us over for dinner. I was going to make cranberry sauce and green bean casserole.

Then on Monday afternoon, I got a call from Olivia's daycare. O woke up screaming from her nap and was refusing to eat anything. She had a big ulcer-like sore on the tip of her tongue. This symptom could only mean one thing: hand, foot, and mouth disease.

After a stressful four-hour stay at the emergency room, yes, it was decided that Olivia was sick. The disease is highly contagious and the doctor said that it would take 7 to 10 days to run its course. Seven days. The news hit me hard. Seven days inside with Olivia. Olivia hates to be inside. Seven days inside is a prison sentence for our little girl.

But she definitely wasn't feeling well. Actually she seemed kind of miserable. Her mouth and tongue hurt, so she wasn't eating either. There was only one conclusion: cancel Thanksgiving 2010.

I called Benny and relayed the doctor's instruction. Immediately Benny jumped into action. He called everywhere on base trying to secure a turkey dinner. No luck.

I found a recipe online to cook a turkey breast in a crock pot. Remember we don't have an oven. Let's try it. If only there are still turkey breast at the supermarket.

At 6:45 p.m. Wednesday night, Benny went to the on-base grocery store in search of a turkey breast for us. Along with pudding, ice cream, Jello, and other soft foods for Olivia, he found a turkey breast. And we made a turkey in a crock pot for the first time ever. The turkey was done at 3 p.m. That's when it hit me that we didn't have any side dishes.

Plan B activated. We walked to the Japanese Kentucky Fried Chicken to buy side dishes, mainly mashed potatoes, green beans, and biscuits. But at this restaurant the only side is coleslaw. No good.

Benny suggested that we buy some potatoes at the grocery store and do our own mashing. So we did. Along with making some frozen veggies. Add a bottle of wine and that was our Thanksgiving dinner. A dinner that we'll never forget. A dinner that made me count my blessings, including my kind and understanding husband. He doesn't let a little viral diseased toddler ruin our Thanksgiving. And that's what I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving.

Happy Turkey Day!

2010-11-25T18:06:00.002-05:00

To be 20 months again...

2010-11-21T08:03:00.000-05:00

Trust me, it's a lot of fun!

Maybe we should start looking for that rocking Harley (or horse) sooner than later.

All I Want for Christmas

2010-11-20T08:06:00.001-05:00

When we leave Okinawa, I'm really going to miss the parks. Not only to Japanese parks have long rolling slides that require a piece of cardboard to protect your bum, some also have stilts readily available for use without a waiver.

Do you really think I could walk by stilts without trying them out? It was 15 minutes of entertainment Michelle and Olivia will never get back.

A little tricky at first, but I got the hang of it. Enough to feel like the Wright Brothers Flyer and go 120 (uh um) inches.
No kids were run over during this take, although at least three gave Michelle panic attacks as they wandered in front of me. But I was in control the whole time, like a bull in a china shop. Eyes on the prize, ignore the taunting 8-year old boy who walks by on stilts like he was born on them. He wasn't blind folded, but he did stop and jump on his stilts. I had no idea you could jump on stilts. I would have tried jumping, but I was too busy looking like a new born colt with knocky knees.

I'll have to ask Santa for a pair of stilts in order to practice some more and get to the jumping phase. But at least I can start Little O now, while she's still in that no fear stage. Then she can walk by the gaijin (foreigners) and taunt them with her stilt skills.

My First Alaska T-shirt

2010-11-19T08:01:00.003-05:00

After 23 pictures, I sat still long enough for Dad to snap this picture.

A Course for Each Year We've Been Married

2010-11-12T08:07:00.015-05:00

I really don't know how I'm going to top this one. It may be impossible. I should probably stop now. It's not worth trying. I don't know if I can afford to try.

On October 30, Benny and I celebrated six years of married. Six years ago, we were huddling close together to keep warm on a brisk autumn Iowa day. The whole world was in front of us. And now, in what seems like a blink of an eye, we are living in Okinawa with a 1 year old daughter and more blessings than I can count. It is October and I'm still sweating. Silly Octobers in Okinawa.

Benny and I take turns planning our anniversaries. I planned the 5th anniversary, so this year it was his turn. Last year was also the year that Benny suggest we incorporate the traditional anniversary gift list into the plan. Five years is wood. Six years is iron.

One might think that iron is hard. Stiff. Unromantic. But Benny proved that iron can exciting, memorable, and filling to the stomach. He booked the babysitter and took me out for a teppanyaki (think iron cooking utensils) dinner at Busena Terrance Beach Resort at Onna Village (about a hour from our house). This hotel is set on a private peninsula. It's an open air design. It's modern. It's chic. It's what people are talking about when they say Okinawa is the Hawaii of Japan. Plus it's famous. The hotel was the host location for the G-8 Summit in July 2000. President Bill Clinton came to Okinawa for that summit.

The resort features many restaurants that are considered to be the best on island. The teppanyaki (cooked on a grill infront of you) one uses Okinawa fruits, vegetables, locally caught fish, and beef from neighbor island Ishigaki. In one word, it's delicious.

The evening started with cold appetizers.

Followed by sea grapes.

Followed by hot appetizers.

Followed by garlic chips. Yup, that garlic cut, grilled, and devoured by Benny and I.

Next was a small Japanese salad.

Next was the main course. Benny had the Ishigaki beef tenderloin and lobster while I had the lobster and fish. And the chef was nice enough to offer to share the beef and fish between the two of us.

This beef was perfect. It melted in my mouth. I don't think I'll ever eat another steak this good.

After dipping our lobster in melted butter, we washed our fingers in a bowl of cool water. (I'm so grateful that the waitress explained it to me.)

The courses were bitesize, so we continued one to eat goya champuru, a popular local cuisine and something I will definitely miss when we leave Okinawa.

Then we got to have fried garlic rice. Another favorite of mine. Luckily we both ate garlic so it was bad breath together for our anniversary. The things you do once you've been married for six years.

Then we got a plate of pickled vegetables and a bowl of Okinawa noodles. I didn't eat the noodles. Too full. I'm so happy that I picked a stretchy dress to wear out for dinner.

And finally we got dessert. Benny had a scoop of ice cream with dragonfruit sauce.

I had green tea ice cream and beans. Another thing I've acquired a taste for after living here.

To celebrate six years, we ate a 10-course meal over a course of three hours. It was relaxing and filling. I wonder what we'll eat when we celebrate 25 years of marriage.

This little garden gnome

2010-11-01T07:32:00.011-04:00

This little garden gnome refused to wear her Halloween costume to the Monster Mash at the library on October 22.

This little garden gnome decided to wear her costume to Alligator Steps on October 30.

This little garden gnome handed out candy on October 31. She wasn't scared of the children dressed up. Just a little confused.

This little garden gnome was more than happy to run around the hallway while waiting for all the trick or treaters.

This Halloween, Our Little Garden Gnome Asks You to do the Mash

2010-10-30T07:36:00.005-04:00

Thanks Uncle Bob and Aunt Patti for my Monster Mash. I LOVE it, and play it over and over, at least six times a day. The Monster Mash must be in my genes.

Cardboard Racers - Start Your Engines!

2010-10-29T07:28:00.002-04:00

Our friend Jeremy always said, "Of all the toys kids have, the cardboard box is always the most fun." He's a smart guy.

The Sushi on the Belt Goes Round and Round

2010-10-20T08:33:00.002-04:00

Looking up at the sign on the second story, it looked ominous. Watching the elderly men and women climb the stairs to Sushido looked like they were on a mission, so focused to get to the summit like Fuji-san. One step at a time. A little dramatic for a 2nd story entrance, but who am I to put a timer on the 80+ year old Japanese man taking his time up the stairs. Good sushi will be there for him too... when he reaches the top.

Sushido didn't have the same impact it did two and a half years ago, when my boss took Michelle and I there for the first (and only) time on our first trip to Yokosuka. The second trip meant so much more. After eating our fair share of sushi the past few years, it was nice to get back to the place that was our first sushi-go-round experience in Japan.

Jon, Lloyd, Ron (not pictured) and I had a total of 40 plates (10 each). Jon and Lloyd come from Hawaii to help me out with some big upcoming contracts for work.

You have to be on top of your game, constantly checking the belt, otherwise it could be another five minutes before the next piece of fatty tuna comes arounda gain. That black bowl on the belt was all the little packets of wasabi... and I let it go by (we had enough wasabi on our table already).

Forty plates, 5500 yen, and a post lunch snooze, it was back to work. Wait, I had a daydream about the post lunch catnap, but it never happened.

Okinawa vs. Weber

2010-10-17T23:13:00.000-04:00

After 29 months in Okinawa one block from the seawall, this is all that was left of our Weber grill before the garbage man picked it up last month. Poor guy's legs gave out after we tried to bring it in the house from the patio to prevent it from becoming a flying object as a typhoon was projected to hit Okinawa last month.

No Fear

2010-10-16T23:09:00.002-04:00

She doesn't even shy away from an alligator...

Ein Prosit, Ein Prosit, Der Gemütlichkeit!

2010-10-02T20:52:00.009-04:00

This German was not about to pass up an Oktoberfest , especially not one that advertised 22 brews, an Oompa band, and most importantly: singing German songs.

I was going to Oktoberfest no matter what, and was pleased to find that the new guy in Yokosuka was up for a good time in Yokohama. On the train ride there, I discovered that Sonny was coming from Naples, Italy, and was interested in finding out how an Oktoberfest in Japan would compare to the one he'd been to in Deutschland.

We joined the entrance line that wrapped around the festival, about 15 minutes, 100 people and ¥200 ($2) later, we were in. With my German weisen and four sausage platter with sauerkraut in hand, we hunted for a table before sitting down to enjoy our feast. This is the obligatory food picture for Grandma Kann, Michelle, and Tammy. We were joined by two other gentlemen looking who occupied the open seats next to us. Turns out they were friends from New York, one an Air Force pilot and his buddy who teaches English in Tokyo. One was of Korean descent, the other of Vietnamese descent. Add in my friend Sonny, who emigrated from Thailand as a young boy, and the token German (me), and it sounds like the punchline of a joke is coming (thanks for pointing that out Somchai).

While I don't have a punchline, I soon realized that I appreciated how Oktoberfest has moved beyond Munich. I was grateful to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the introduction of beer to Yokohama too.

We soon learned that even with the German enthusiasm and an Oompa band, German Oktoberfest songs are not to be sung at a volume louder than Lutherans sitting in the back of church. But if you'd like, you can join the masses at the top of your lungs with "Achy Breaky Heart" and other "American" songs all night long! I just don't think they (Japanese) understand (the words and how to sing the German tunes) - Billy Ray Cyrus is my secret favorite (only joking).

Oktoberfest was much bigger than I anticipated, and there were as many people inside as there were outside. As the sun went down, it cooled off quickly outside since Yokohama is right on the water, and many people moved inside. As you can see, it was a family affair, this picture was taken at about 8:30pm.

The beer drinking was a classy affair, you paid a ¥1000 (about $10) deposit for your glass, and another ¥1000 for a beer. This was not your classic plastic cup college kegger. I had the pleasure of trying the Weisen, Oktoberfest Weisen, and Rauch. Three down, 19 to go... So much good beer to try, so little time. Happy Oktoberfest!

Olivia the Observer

2010-09-27T06:41:00.012-04:00

In August, Olivia had her first swimming lessons. Well the lessons aren't lessons in the true sense of the word, it was an introduction to the water for a little girl. (We'll wait and see if she loves the water as much as her dolphin Dad or if she prefers higher and drier land like her mother.)

The 25-minute "Learn to Swim" class was held Monday through Friday for two weeks. We were lucky to grab a slot in the 5:30 p.m. class. It was a lot of hustling to pick up Olivia and get her changed and in the pool with a parent by 5:30 p.m. The first day (when it was raining cats and dogs during the class), I didn't plan it well and Olivia wore her bathing suit home and ate snacks in the car.

Then we had to buy a new bathing suit for her because the ones we had were a little too tight for our growing girl.

For the first week, Olivia's instructor nicknamed her "The Observer." Olivia the Observer didn't clap with the other kids. She didn't sing along. She didn't blow bubbles or dunk her head in the water. She just stared at her teacher and classmates. Basically she observed.

Then on Sunday, Benny and I took her to the pool on the Air Force base where they had a children's water feature. It was basically a large water sprinkler where Olivia could run through it on her own. She spotted it first thing and pointed to it.

She was fearless running through the water.

And after that experience, Olivia loved her swimming lessons. She fully participated in the class and was even happy when Benny dunked her in the water.

She was happy until Thursday, the second to last day of class. Olivia had been up late the night before and was super cranky when I picked her at daycare. She was fine for the first 10 minutes of class, but when it was time to practice jumping into the pool, Olivia didn't jump in the water. She turned and walked to her towel. When I asked her where she was going, she calmly answered "All done" plain as day.

Now Olivia talks a lot, but doesn't say much, so this was a big moment in her verbal development. I smiled and said "no, we aren't all done. We are only halfway done."

Again she said "All done" and walked toward her towel.

Determined to get my money's worth, I grabbed Olivia and put her back in the pool, forcing her to finish the class. She screamed and cried and wasn't happy until the class sang the goodbye song. Then she immediately waved goodbye and gave the teacher a big smile. Olivia the Observer was "all done" observing for today.

Definitely have to take the O-Monster Here

2010-09-07T07:40:00.018-04:00

I was tempted to join a tour group trip to Hakone National Park, the less than advertised area within sight of Fuji on a clear day. You can even see Fuji-san’s reflection on Lake Ashi on a clear day. But I had flashbacks of the wiki-wiki stops on the Big Island and decided to do it myself.

I picked up the directions from the fleet and family support services, and did a little research the night before. One gentleman did the same trip on his own, but started at 6am. I delayed my start a little bit in order to skype with Michelle and Olivia at 8am (thanks for letting me sleep in Love because I know Olivia was up earlier than that).

I got on the train at 9:30am and heading for Hakone. After changing trains I made it to Ofuna (how long it took I don’t remember, thanks to The World is Flat). I switched trains and headed for Odawara, when I jumped on a cable car heading up to Souzane. It was sometime after 11am I made it to my first destination, Hakone Open Air Museum. Only 100 yards from the cable car stop, I was mesmerized before even stepping through the gate. They had a fountain at the entrance that just caught my eye, and took me a few minutes to figure out it was more or less perpetual random motion that kept in moving.

Once inside I almost pulled the typical gai-jin mistake and walked into the middle of a video shoot that was being taken of the giant buffalo. They setup a little 20 ft track and must have taken at least 15 shots and running up to the buffalo. Next to the buffalo were two huge eggs on the sidewalk – at least 10 ft in diameter – that doubled as benches. How fitting, the paper just had an article about it was the hottest summer on record, and there at Hakone it was so hot they did fry an egg on the sidewalk. Later on I learned that the eggs were a part of a much bigger piece in which the obelisk looking object was actually a frying pan handle and the eggs were inside the pan. How clever.

Olivia and I have some practicing before out debut with Barnum and Bailey

I later wandered over to what looked like a giant set of Lincoln Logs, the Woods of Net. Inside were kids squealing in delight with the super sized hammock and suspended 2 ft diameter balls. One boy was practicing his karate on one of them, but ended his Tai Bo workout before I could get my camera out. I have to admit, I wished I was 22 years younger.

This is where I get home and ask Olivia, “Were you good while Dad was away? Really? Is that what Mom would say?” I’m thinking we need to encourage some potty training soon, and I have just the idea for a reward. But it gets better, there was also a giant space capsule gym unlike any other I had seen. It was like an eight-year-old designed the playground that only kids eight and below could use. Again, bummed. But, I think Olivia would have a hay day out here.

This is the Woods of Net. But I didn't see any nets from the outside.

Eureka, I've found the nets. But I couldn't get a picture of the little boy practicing his roundhouse kicks on one of the suspended balls.

In between were some not as eventual trips inside the Picasso museum (pictures not allowed), where I was reminded that the poor guy just could not decide on a woman to spend his life with. Oh, and his art was pretty stellar too, from the paintings to the ceramics and tapestry. All pretty amazing to see an abstract artist’s perspective, one that I have always had a hard time understanding. But I’ll keep trying, that’s why I love Michelle, she’s always exposing me to new things and getting me out of the engineer’s box of right angles and black and white solutions.

A little relief from the sun outside, and relearning about all Picasso and all of his quirks.
What happens when you have too much fun at the Picasso Museum, or sit in the sun for too long.

From the Open Air Museum, I just barely caught the cable car (almost got my shirt caught in the door as it was closing). Only to be headed the wrong way down the hill. Silly switchbacks, I forgot the cable car switched directions twice on its way up the hill, and this happened to be one of those stations. So I had another good 20 minutes reading my book in order to finish my trek back up the mountain.
Near the top a Souzan, I hitched a ride on the rope way (aka gondola) across Lake Ashi.

Yada, yada, yada, bus back to to the train station, train back to Yokosuka, and home by 10pm.

Coincidence our Little Miss Stubborn was born in the year of the ox?

Besides the Woods of Net, we also have the "Where is Miffy?" activity to wear our our Little O.

And when the day is over, we're stopping by to take our pictures with the Japanese Anamie cutouts.

The Tale of Fuji: Part 2

2010-09-01T07:50:00.006-04:00

Now that confirmation was made on the climb, the real planning began. And the time to make choices.

There are several different options to climb the mountain. Timing is not one of them. You have to climb during the months of July and August. That's the only option. But how you get to the mountain is up to you.

You can do a daytime climb. This means you start at 5 a.m. and finish by 7 p.m. and don't do anything at dark. In this option, you don't need a hut, much food, or night gear. But I wanted to do the traditional climb and see sunrise from the top of the mountain. So daytime was out for me.

Another option is an all-night climb. In this option, you start at 4 p.m. and reached the top at sunrise. But you don't have much time to rest and you are climbing in the dark nearly the whole time.

I researched doing the climb on our own (train ticket from Tokyo, bus pass to 5th station, stay at the hut, train ticket back to Tokyo) and soon discovered that it would be the same price as an overnight English tour I recently read about in a American travel guide. So I booked the tour and could relax knowing that we had transportation to and from the mountain, two meals, and accommodations on the mountain at the 8th station.

Climbing Mount Fuji is not the most physical thing you will do. But mentally it is tough. It's long, slow and boring scenery along the way. It's lava rock, lava rock, and more lava rock.

I had this great plan to physically prepare, so I would be in tip top shape for the climb. In truth, I went to a couple of spinning classes, and did the stairmaster and treadmill a handful of times. My friend, Andrea, who bounced like a bunny up the mountain, is proof that if you're in good shape (like she is), the hike is a breeze.

So since I wasn't where I wanted to be physically, I was pretty nervous the weeks prior to the climb. I went to some safety briefs, where the presenter warned about fatigue and injury. I researched altitude sickness prevention medicine and asked my pharmacist sister Colleen for her professional opinion. She said skip it, rest and drink water. Go slow. You can do it, she said.

One of my co-workers hiked it on July 4. I had lunch with her and asked her a million questions. How much money did you bring? How much water? How much does it cost to use the toilet? What was the temperature at the top? How many layers of clothes did you pack? Did you wear them all?

Our summer high school intern hiked the mountain last summer with her dad and brother. I asked her the same questions. I compared the answers with Benny.

I had a dream about being on the mountain, separated from Andrea, Tammy and Nicole. I didn't have any of my hiking supplies or money, but yet I decided to go up the mountain. That was the entire dream. I woke up scared.

My Japanese co-workers reassured me that a dream about Fuji is a good thing. It means I will see the top of the mountain. Any dream, good or bad, is a positive sign, they reassured me.

Must keep moving

2010-08-25T07:58:00.004-04:00

Grandma Donna (my mom) recently sent Olivia a super cute outfit. It's a strawberry shirt and a red and white polka dotted skirt. Since strawberries are Olivia's latest favorite food, the outfit was a good fit for her.

But since mastering this whole walking thing, getting a photo of Olivia has become quite the challenge.

I may need to invest in one of those high speed cameras for fast moving objects.

Or wait until Olivia can sit still before taking another photo of her.

Occupational Hazards

2010-08-24T08:14:00.004-04:00

I thought after living in Japan for more than 2 years that I'd seen it all. I feel like I've read, seen, and learned all that there is to know about the differences between Japan and America. And then something happens that figuratively knocks me off my chair and literally leaves a strange taste in my mouth. It's then that I realize that after two years, I've only scratch the surface of understanding.

Today was going to be a good day. Today I had an appointment/interview to meet and eat at a new restaurant in Okinawa. I will be writing a restaurant review on this local place. It had the word Hawaiian in the restaurant's name, so I was excited about this food vacation (aka eating cuisine from an exotic location without the hassle of airport security).

We (photographer, Japanese saleswoman who is also my translator and I) arrive on time. It's 2:30 in the afternoon. The restaurant is closed, so there is only us, the owner and chef in the restaurant. The chef prepares 3 signature dishes (two appetizers and one entree). After a short translated interview and photographing the food, I dig in. I'm starving.

I grab a jumbo shrimp with my chopsticks without clearly looking at it. I pop it in my mouth. As I bite down, I hear the crunch. Horror. The shell is still on the shrimp. My first reaction? Get these shell parts out of my mouth. And without thinking, only reacting, I spit out the shrimp shell mush mixture onto my plate. In front of the chef. And the owner. While my Japanese co-worker happily chomps away.

I look down at my plate and realize this looks stupid. Not only did I eat the shrimp without looking at it, I spit out the shrimp delicately prepared for me, the writer. How does this look? But as I reason in my head, what was I suppose to do? Just swallow and smile?

That's when I look over at my co-worker's plate and I notice that she doesn't have any shell pieces on her plate.

At the same time, she looks at my plate and sees the shrimp shell mush blob. That's when she tells me that in Japan, it is customary to eat the shrimp in shell, and the tail too. It's good for you. High in calcium, she says.

She smiles at me and then turns to the chef and owner and talks to them in Japanese for quite a while. I'm sure she was apologizing for me and my actions.

Committed to my restaurant review, I looked at another piece of shrimp. This time I'll be prepared for the shell and savor the unique flavor, I tell myself. I aim to put it in my mouth. I set it down. I can't do it. I know it's mind over matter. But I can't do it. I'm an American. I've been trained to remove the shell before eating.

So I did the only thing that I thought would move the restaurant review forward: I asked for dessert.

The Fuji Tale: Part 1

2010-08-24T07:27:00.008-04:00

Whose idea was it to climb Mount Fuji?

That question played over and over in my head during the 7 hours I spent hiking to the top of the highest point in Japan. And the only answer: me.

Flashback to a conversation prior to us moving to Okinawa. Scott Morey, a Navy friend of ours, first tells us about climbing Mount Fuji. Benny and I are receptive to the idea. At this point, I'm in the best shape of my life. I recently did a hard hike in Hawaii. I'm feeling great. I feel like I can climb anything. The seed is planted.

Move to Okinawa. More talk about climbing Fuji. Most of the men I meet tell me that "yes they want to climb it" or "yes, of course, they climbed it." Not one woman tells me she wants to climb it.

Then I get prego with Olivia. Without seeking medical advice, I decide it's not in my best interest to climb Mount Fuji during the summer of 2008.

Next summer, Olivia is 5 months old when Benny climbs Fuji with some CEC buds. He says I can do it next year (our last summer in Okinawa) with some friends. He says I should plan a girls trip to climb the mountain. Yeah, right I think to myself. There is no one who will do that with me.

Enter Tammy and Andrea. The unfortunate souls who volunteered to climb Mount Fuji with me. Way back in January when we started planning their Japanese vacation and finalizing the details of dates, hotel rooms, and plane tickets, I realized that we would be in Tokyo during the prime time to climb the mountain.

So I sent Andrea this email:

Andrea,
What do you think about coming in early August and we climb Mount Fuji together?
Michelle

Andrea's response

Oh my, this sounds adventurous, and scary, and hard, and quite possibly awesome! Do you think we can do it? What is it? Telegraph Pass (in Yuma) times 1,000? I mean, I can do it--right? Talk about a good reason to be in shape (I am totally needing motivation right now, but I will get it.) I am nervous and excited at the same time, so YES--I am totally interested. Holy shit. I can't stop smiling. But, I am totally scared. Can we talk about this in person? Awesome!

And after a phone call with Tammy to finalize the decision it was official-- I was climbing Mount Fuji.

No Longer a Baby

2010-08-23T07:40:00.005-04:00

Olivia is no longer a baby. After today, the 17-month-old became a pre-toddler (and I have a feeling that pre-teen is right around the corner).

Olivia had her first day in the pre-toddler room today. Sure she is the last one of the "babies" to transfer there, so I'm sure she was glad to rejoin Joshua and Corey (her buds from the nursery.)

I wasn't sure how it would go. I was concerned that she would be jealous of the babies who replaced her in the other room. Or that she would want to go back to her crib for her nap. Or worst yet, not nap at all the entire day and be a crabby mess when I picked her up.

But I was wrong on all accounts.

When I arrive at 5 p.m., her new teacher reported that Olivia did great in her new room. She ate well and thought about using her fork and spoon. I guess she held one in one hand while eating with the other. She followed the other pre-toddlers' lead and slept on her mat with no problems. In fact, she slept for nearly 2 rooms. (That's a new Olivia nap record). And her report said that she had fun making shapes with the play dough, when she wasn't eating it.

And finally her teacher wrote: "Olivia is a very smart child. She understands concepts and I am sure she will begin to talk very soon."

After I grabbed Olivia, we walked by her old room. I noticed that Olivia's crib was no longer her crib. They had already taken down the sign with her name and picture. This is when I got a little sad. My baby is no longer a baby.

You want what for your birthday?

2010-08-12T08:34:00.004-04:00

Olivia thought I'd be satisfied with a personally decorated birthday card, and normally I would be. But I wanted more than that for my birthday.

As I watched her prance in the pool in swimming lessons, the mischevious side of me came out. Three days in the pool and coming out of the pool each day with dry hair was too much. Her blond hair must get wet.

"Olivia, I don't know what you had planned for Dad's birthday, but his one birthday wish is to give you your first full body baptism in the pool." It'll come when you least expect it, otherwise you'll never let go of Mom.

I finally got my chance at the end of the swimming lesson today, as I had flashbacks of my Mom playing ring around the rosey with me at the Prior Lake High School pool. It seemed like we did it for hours, although it was probably only 15 minutes with my attention span.

Ring Around the rosey, pockets full of posey, ashes, ashes, we all blow bubbles! Rats. Not yet, you're lucky kiddo.

Ring Around the rosey, pockets full of posey, ashes, ashes, we all kick our feet! What? What happened to "we all fall down"?

Next verse, just like the first. Ring Around the rosey, pockets full of posey, ashes, ashes, we all FALL DOWN! (Dad is blowing bubbles, he missed his cue). But better late than never, Dad finally got his birthday wish. And there was no crying, just a reach out to Mom and a "what just happened" look.

Seeing things in a new light

2010-08-05T08:05:00.003-04:00

We are over the hump. If everything goes as planned, we will leave Okinawa in less than a year. No, we don't have orders yet. No, we don't know where the Navy is sending us next. We just know that the plan is for us to move back to the States within the next year.

Living in Japan means constantly learning about a culture that is basically American culture flipped upside down. Everything is different, from the toilets to the food. And for that difference, I'm truly thankful for this opportunity. I got to live in a part of the world that I never studied or read about before moving here. And in the end, I've learned more about my beliefs, my values, and myself than I ever thought was possible. I was confident in myself when I fly to Tokyo for the first time. Today I'm still confident in myself. I just know I'm a new me.

While I'm comfortable with myself, within this country, I continue to feel like an outsider. That is until July 25, when I became a Tokyo tour guide to my friends, Tammy, Andrea and Nicole. Tammy and Andrea, former Yumans like myself, flew together from the States. Nicole is my co-worker here in Okinawa and this was her first girls trip and first trip in Tokyo.

The vacation was short. Two days of sightseeing. Two days to hike Mount Fuji. Four days with three amazing, open-minded, and physically strong women.

Their visit was an opportunity for me. I saw Japan through a fresh set of eyes. They pointed out things, I no longer noticed and forgot to be amused by. They laughed at things that I had begun to ignore. They showed me the beauty of Japan all over again. And they gave me the strength to finish this emotionally challenging overseas tour with a positive note.

In less than 11 months, I'll leave Okinawa. But I'll never forget Okinawa.

The hardest part

2010-08-03T21:48:00.002-04:00

The hardest part about having visitors is saying goodbye. This morning in the wee hours while the rest of Okinawa was still asleep, Olivia and I dropped off Tammy and Andrea at the Okinawa Airport in Naha.

It felt really strange to not be the one packing a suitcase, mentally preparing to travel for 24 hours, and checking in for a flight. I could handle more of this hostess stuff.

Safe travels ladies. It was one helluva trip. And we'll always have Fuji.

What's between a toddler walking and running?

2010-07-28T06:31:00.007-04:00

The 40-second buildup is worth it for the five seconds on Olivia's highlight reel.

The rest of the Hawaii story

2010-07-19T08:23:00.025-04:00

After the wiki wiki bus tour, Rich and I were ready to find something else to do on Oahu at our own pace. So we drove to the north shore.

On the way we stopped at the farmers stand for some picked mango and banana lumpia (delicious). I ate half of it before I remembered to take a picture for the food lovers.

We stopped at the vista on the Na Pali highway, one of the windiest places I've ever been.

When we did get out of class after lunch on our last day on Friday, I headed over to the northeast corner of Ford Island to see the USS Missouri. Before boarding, all I had to do was look over to my left to see the memorial to the the 1,177 Sailors and Marines lost on Dec 7, 1941.

Then I stepped aboard a piece of history. The battleship built by the US that also fought during the Battle of Okinawa and Iwo Jima during WWII, the Korean War, and saw its last action during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

The USS Missouri keeping watch over the USS Arizona. These two vessels are known as the bookends of World War II. The attack on the Arizona on Dec 7, 1941 got the US involved WWII, and the Missouri was the site of the surrender of the Empire of Japan which ended World War II on Sep 2, 1945.

The tour of the Missouri was great, from the personal tour by the vets who served aboard her to the self-guided tour with the iTouch.

The stories aboard the Missouri were unforgettable.

She still has a dent on her starboard side from a kamikaze jet that crashed into the her after being shot down in suicide mission. On 11 April, a low-flying kamikaze, although fired on, crashed on Missouri's starboard side, just below her main deck level. The starboard wing of the plane was thrown far forward, starting a gasoline fire at 5 in (130 mm) Gun Mount No. 3. The battleship suffered only superficial damage, and the fire was brought quickly under control. The remains of the pilot were recovered onboard the ship just aft of one of the 40 mm gun tubs. Captain Callaghan decided that the young Japanese pilot had done his job to the best of his ability, and with honor, so he should be given a military funeral. The following day he was buried at sea with military honors. (Source: Wikipedia)

This quote at the USS Memorial reminds of the Sundays at the Chapel at Officer Candidate School. Every service would end with this hymn, and there other verses added for Marines, pilots, Air Force, Soldiers, and even one for Seabees.

As much as I'd like to end there, I can't. My friend Rich had never been to a luau, and when in Rome... not that I'm an expert, I'd only been to one luau before this one at Germaine's. It was our last night in Hawaii, and we had a great time sitting with a woman from Liverpool who was football fan and a couple from Australia who were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. It's a small world. The Aussie had actually spent time in Minnesota working with 3M. He was even in MN during the great Halloween snowstorm of 1991, and hadn't been back since. We had so much fun that I slept through the Germany/Liverpool match that started at 4am the next morning.

Needs more climbing lessons

2010-07-15T09:43:00.008-04:00

Not quite ready for Fuji-san like Michelle, but she'll get there.

In this episode of "O-Monster in Action" (insert deep National Geographic/Animal Channel Narrator voice), watch as the O-monster sneaks up on the dancing duck when its back is turned and head butts her prey to the ground in a rage of clumsiness. Then she gives the helpless duck an Olivia-sized bear hug before silencing it with a push of the O-N-O-F-F button and leaving it for the hyenas.

Too proud to stop her from climbing, but able to catch her before she fell on her face. I've got to work on those mixed signals between the the pride of watching her climb fearlessly and the "don't do that Olivia, it's dangerous" lessons.

You'll see her problem solving skills in the video too. She learned how to turn her dancing chicken on AND off.

And to think we've been listening to the entire chicken song for the last three months because we thought that I had to play through the entire song before it would turn itself off. O showed us that all you have to do is press the button again and "poof", he stops dancing and "singing". Outsmarted by a 16-month old.

Olivia is adding to her bag of tricks

2010-07-14T09:25:00.006-04:00

A few of O's favorite things

2010-07-13T07:10:00.005-04:00

Olivia is a climber. She loves to climb. She loves to use her hands, arms, feet, toes, and pure strength to touch something that she can't normally reach.

Tonight I caught her using an old cookie tin as a step stool. She also enjoys climbing on top of my yarning basket, into her playpen, and tends to push her Olivia stool over to the sink.

She also thinks that bookshelves are ladders that must be climbed.

Today when I picked Olivia up from daycare, her caregiver was telling me about Olivia's day, including the new places that she tried to climb to. As usual, I nodded. Yup, Olivia's a climber.

"But she's a girl," Miss Maree said. "Olivia you shouldn't climb. You're a girl."

I guess no one told Olivia girls can't climb.

A happiness shirt for Father's Day

2010-07-05T08:06:00.002-04:00

Editor's note: Quiet Fourth of July holiday. Had time to blog about Father's Day.

This year's Father's Day was kind of a bust at the Volkmann household.

On Father's Day, Benny flew to Hawaii for a two-week training with his Navy people. The flight was in the morning, so we planned to celebrate the day before. But I didn't realize that Benny was on call that weekend. And of course, he got called into work. For the whole day. Don't you love it when other people's foolish decisions affect your fun???

But before he left, I gave him his Father's Day gift-- it was a kariyushi wear shirt.

Here is Benny modeling his kariyushi shirt right before rushing into the airport to fly to Hawaii. Like I said it was a long night and a hectic morning, so we don't have the best photo of Benny. And Olivia was asleep in the car, so she isn't in the photo with him as planned.

Haven’t heard of kariyushi? It’s Okinawa’s version of a Hawaiian aloha shirt. Kariyushi comes from the Okinawa word for happiness. (Yes, Okinawa has its own language that is different than Japanese.) During the summer months, local business men replace their traditional business wear (formal button-down shirt and necktie) for this cooler and socially acceptable alternative. The shirts, which are produced by 25 local companies, are designed to be worn untucked and reflect the laid-back style of this tropical island. It was difficult to choose a style for Benny. Most of the kariyushi shirts feature designs specific to Okinawa.

The shirts are only sold during June. Hopefully Benny continues to wear his kariyushi wear after we leave Okinawa.

Our Little Firecracker

2010-07-03T23:57:00.002-04:00

Our little firecracker wanted to wish everyone a Happy Fourth of July!

And don't worry, even though this photo looks like Olivia has mastered walking, it's only her pose. Actually she was hanging on to the gate, until she heard the camera noise. Then she let go of the gate, stood up straight and gave me this smile. What a poser.

When he's not in class

2010-06-28T04:30:00.002-04:00

Contract classes used to be a boondoggle. There must have been an Inspector General report on them or something, because now not only do they go until 4pm, but they go well past 5pm too. Something I didn't expect, nor am I getting used to.

Good thing Rich and I planned our trip to the Big Island, or else we may not have gotten back to the main base to get our tickets since classes were going late. We both wanted to see the Big Island. So we booked a one day trip to the Big Island, complete with a loop tour of all the "sights".

Our first stop was for an early lunch. "all right, see you back here in 20 minutes" said the bus driver man. We were the first ones in line and ordered a red veal, Kahua ranch beef, medium rare. Listening to the stories of the Parker Ranch on the Big Island, one of the largest ranches in the United States, made us hungry. After 13 minutes, we had our burgers. Down the hatch with 30 seconds to spare. The other tour goers were not as lucky, some had just received theirs when the horn honked on the bus. You could eat on the bus, but who wants to each a fat, juicy hamburger over your lap when you have a full day tour ahead of you?

I quickly learned that our tour guide was a big of a BS'er as me. Once I heard him say that the Parker Ranch was once the largest ranch in the US, over 500,000 acres. I asked him how big and if it was larger than the largest ranch in Texas... he didn't know, but he knew Parker Ranch was big. I knew that the King Ranch in Texas was the largest from Michelle's story in the Wichita Falls Times Record News, and from then on I had a hard time believing anything he said.

Our tour guide told us that Marines trained on this hill, rolling wooden logs up the hill. This was their training before they were to take over Mount Surabachi on Iwo Jima...

Our first five minute "wiki wiki" stop was at Rainbow Falls. I would have rather have spend 15 minutes here rather than the candy factory shopping extravaganza where I spent $0. The chocolate was so-so, not worth the inflated tourist prices.

Our next stop was at an orchid factory, where I got a taste of my own medicene. Michelle used to wait patiently for me to take pictures of interesting flora and fauna. Now I waited patiently until it was time to leave for our main attraction...

Volcanoes National Park

It didn't look like the image created by Mark Twain, but

it was still a sight to see a crate 2 miles wide and 3 miles long still fuming sulfur oxide from a distance.

We even got to walk through a lava tube that was about 200 meters long. It's amazing to think that lava flowed through this tube just like water in a garden hose.

Our bus driver told us NOT to go through the chainlink fence gate, "it's illegal and dangerous." I have a feeling he didn't want to wait for us to explore a little more. The sign says it's ok to go another 334 meters, even inviting me!

Our final stop was at the black sand beach on the east side of the island. After 15 minutes on the beach and getting back on the bus, a couple was talking about turtles... "there must have been 8 or 9 sea turtles," she said. WHAT? WHERE? Oh wait, there is no time, we must get to our next wiki wiki stop, a place to buy Kona coffee.

The longer we were on the bus for the 250 miles, the more I wished we had rented a car and done it ourselves. But I did enjoy snoozing between stops on the bus, it wasn't all bad. What sealed the deal for me to avoid another bus tour in the future (except in extreme circumstances): We didn't even have enough time for a wiki wiki stop to view the nice sunset.

The Big Island is definitely worth the visit, and I'd like to go back and see the orange glow of the lava at night some time before it stops. And next time, we'll do the driving so we can make the wiki wiki stops as long as our hearts desire.

Fuji and me

2010-06-27T07:37:00.000-04:00

Next month, I'm hiking to the top of Mount Fuji, the highest point in Japan with three friends (2 from the States and one here in Okinawa).

I feel like I can do it. But I need to stayed focus on my workout plan, fitness rountine, and healthy eating. Must build muscle, lose weight, and be prepared to hike for 8 hours.

It's going to be awesome to see the sunrise from the top of the mountain with some amazing ladies.

Any words of encouragement?

When I'm not writing here

2010-06-26T07:45:00.001-04:00

Last December, I started a new job. Same company. Same branch. Different office. Different position. A step in the right direction for me.

Instead of working in customer service, I now work as a writer/editor. I know most people are either writers or editors, but in this unique job I divide my time doing a little bit of both.

In this job, I write ad copy for posters, pamphlets, Web pages, coupons, and newspaper advertisements. Obviously I have no background in this speciality, so I've been studying ad copy writing techniques and trying to learn a lot from my co-workers. Last week I wrote ad copy for Guitar Panda, a famous Japanese guitarist who performs in a panda costume. And here's the kicker: it's not for children.

Also in this job, I write cultural feature articles for our monthly magazine. This award-winning magazine is definitely the place that every writer and photographer on Okinawa wants to work. (I've been waiting for a writing position to open up for nearly 2 years.)

So far, I've had a photo essay on Chinese New Year in Hong Kong published, along with a feature about a professional Japanese golfer. He recently competed at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. Too bad, I couldn't interview him. The language barrier is definitely the most frustrating thing about this job. And it's all on me. If only I studied Japanese ....

Currently I'm writing a piece about Tokyo street fashion. I'm actually procrastinating over it while writing this post.

As research for this article, I attended a fashion show in Okinawa at the end of April. It was a long day with a photographer and Japanese translator.

After this feature, I'm planning to write something about locally made cheese (as long as I can get permission to visit a goat farm, something about foot and mouth disease is holding me up) and karate greats on Okinawa (the birthplace of karate).

Besides the PE results

2010-06-25T07:16:00.002-04:00

Olivia likes to stand up. She likes to cruise along the furniture. She likes to wrap her hand around our fingers and walk to the local grocery store.

But she never lets go of the chair, wall, or our hands. She will only walk if she is hanging on to something. Until June 12. That's when our little O bravely took her first independent steps between the chair that I was sitting in and the chair that Benny was sitting in.

Of course, we didn't get a photo of this first step. Or a video. Or even get a good look at it.

At the time I was on the phone, talking to my grandmother. Benny was reading the newspaper. We both caught a glimpse of it out of the corners of our eyes. Enough to know that it happened.

After we cheered and tried to get Olivia to take another step, she shook her head, refused, and went back to playing with her blocks on the floor.

But it counts. Olivia took her first steps.

Never Forget

2010-06-23T06:53:00.006-04:00

In my former life as a reporter I attended many Memorial Day parades, Veterans Day speeches and Pearl Harbor remembrance ceremonies. I have had heard World War II veterans tell their battle stories from their perspective.

Today I saw the battle from a different perspective.

Today (June 23) is the Battle of Okinawa Memorial Day, a holiday in Japan. Sixty-five years ago, the Battle of Okinawa came to an end after 82 days of fighting. Okinawa was the closest that U.S. troops ever got to mainland Japan. The first place that U.S. forces invaded this island (after bombing it so badly that the landscape of the island was significantly altered and not one building remained), was at the beach near our house. Literally feet from our front door. Kadena Air Base (where Benny works) was the first U.S. base established.

The Battle of Okinawa was one of the bloodiest fights in the Pacific. More than 200,000 people (Japanese soldiers, American Marines, sailors, and soldiers, British troops, Korea soldiers, and Okinawans) were killed during this battle. Every single name is engraved on walls (similar to the Vietnam Wall) at the Okinawa Peace Prayer Park.

Benny, Olivia, and I first went to Peace Prayer Park and Memorial Museum on Memorial Day. The day was rainy so we didn't spend too much time outside under the umbrella visiting the grounds.

Today I attended the Okinawa Memorial Service at the Cornerstone of Peace with the USO. First, World War II veterans and a current Marine general laid wreaths at the American section of the park during a short ceremony.

Then we attended the Okinawa service at Peace Hill. The Prime Minister and governor of Okinawa gave speeches.

There was a peace poem read by a school girl and a declaration of peace by the governor, which was translated into English in the program.

On this day, which marks the anniversary of the end of the Battle of Okinawa, we offer our most sincere and heartfelt condolences to the souls of all those who lost their lives during the war and who continue to watch over us. Bringing together the wisdom and aspiration of the people of Okinawa, we hereby pledge to devote our utmost efforts to the realization of all mankind's common wish: everlasting world peace.

After the American wreaths were laid, I took a moment to walk around the park. I watched as women (mostly likely in their 80s or older) laid flowers in the Japanese section of the park. They used a handkerchief to wipe their eyes. Their loss. Their pain. It needed no translation.

Today was a day to remember those who lost their lives in the Battle of Okinawa.

Today was a day to say an extra prayer for world peace.

Like My Dad Always Said

2010-06-20T07:05:00.005-04:00

Life is short. Take big bites.

Happy Father's Day, Benny.

How did this happen?

2010-06-17T07:44:00.008-04:00

Probably when we opened a bottle of bubbly...

Because I opened and email from the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying that said this:

Ok, so I'm a horrible liar. The toast would have made a better story, but I actually broke it while doing the dishes.
The best part is passing the PE is for real! Thank you to my patient and supportive Michelle and Olivia, and for all of your prayers, they were answered!

In the game of life

2010-06-09T08:11:00.004-04:00

In the game of life, you are born. If you are like me, you are the first born in a family of three girls. You are the center of the universe. Until your sister Colleen is born. Then you move to the back burner. Until your sister Rachel is born. Then you decide it's time to be independent.

Life happens. You go to school. You take tests. You get grades. You graduate from high school. When was that again? Oh yeah more than 10 years ago. I can barely remember it.

Life happens. You go to college. You study. You party. You do an internship or two. You take tests. You get grades. You meet a boy. You fall in love. Your heart is broken. You swear off men. You meet a nice guy. You fall in love again. But this time it's better. It's true love this time. You graduate from college the same year your sister Colleen graduates from high school. When was that? I can barely remember.

Life happens. You get your first apartment. You buy your first car. You get your first job. Not necessarily in that order. You get a diamond. You move. You get married. You get a new job.

Life happens. You return home for your baby sister's graduation from high school. That's when I found my first gray hair. Colleen graduated with her undergraduate degree. Rachel graduated from high school. I didn't need the gray hair for the proof. I was old. Until this year.

Life happens. You fly from Okinawa to watch your baby sister graduate with her undergraduate degree. You look at the professors and think man, those people look young. She explains you're old. Some of her professors are 26 or 27 years old. Where were those professors when you went to college?

You watch your sister Colleen put on a hood and take the title of pharmacist. And with that one ceremony it's official: you are now old. Your younger sister is smarter than you and your baby sister is on track to be smarter than you.

Ah, life. Got to love it.

Olivia, are you ready for your first frost bite?

2010-06-08T07:30:00.006-04:00

Baseball. Hot dogs. Beer. My three loves and I love when I can have all three at the same time. That's why when Benny's brother, Jon, emailed us about going to a Minnesota Twins baseball game, I immediately say "yes" and started researching the hot dog options.

See, the Twins have a new outdoor(!) stadium. Not that I completely hated the Metrodome ... but as a Cubs fan, it's not a baseball game until you have to worry about sunburned skin or freezing to death. Not to mention the rain. The elements are what make baseball great.

But I do like the Dome dogs. I'm going out on a limb here to say that Dome dogs are my favorite stadium meal. That is until I ate the Dugout Dog at Target Field. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Back to the game.

Jon did a terrific job of rounding up the Volkmann clan and we had an adults-only day at the baseball field (plus baby Olivia and nephew Luke).

The weather report showed a cold forecast. Partly cloudy, with a high of 50 degrees. Yes in May. Ah, Minnesota springs. At least Olivia will get plenty of wear out of her winter coat while we are here.

We took the light rail to the stadium and I cracked up as I listened to the Minnesota accents surrounding us. Three women had an indepth conversation about soil for their garden. What stores had soil on sale this week ... How much they needed to buy... etc. All with that adorable Minnesota accent.

Once we settled into our seats Brother-in-law Bob and I immediately went to get the beer and dogs. I first sampled the Twin dog with chili and cheese. I thought the chili would warm me up from the inside out. Next I had regular Twin Dog and then I closed out the 7th inning with a Dugout Dog, an old-fashioned beef and pork dog that is sold in the stands. Besides being super tasty, I loved passing my money down the row as the hot dog was passed to me.

All hot dogs aside, the game was good. It didn't rain. But it wasn't warm. Olivia was bundled up with multiple layers, but we still had her wear her new Twins T-shirt from Target on the outside of her sweater.

No, Olivia didn't get her first frost bite. And she didn't get her first bite of hot dog either.

Minnesota Family Time

2010-05-31T18:00:00.014-04:00

In the past, we have flown to the States for 2 weddings, one birthday party, and one wedding reception. This time, we planned to be there for 2 graduations, and one Mother's Day. But in a welcomed surprise we also attended a baptism, a T-ball game, a birthday lunch, and a family barbecue.

For most people, these activities are no big deal. You attend baptisms, family barbecues, and T-ball games all the time, especially if you have a big family or live in the same city as your loved ones. But for Benny and I, these standard family affairs are the activities that we read about on Facebook status updates or the recaps on Skype phone dates. Attendance usually isn't possible.

But the Volkmanns worked really hard to make our short time very special and I was so happy, grateful and in the moment, that I forget to take photos of the great things we did together.

The family

First on Friday, we had lunch with Benny's aunt and godmother, Margaret for her birthday. This wonderful lady turned 85 years old and we were happy to eat Mexican food with her, husband, and son on her special day. (I neglected to take a photo. Bad blogger.)

On Saturday, Benny's brother Jon and his wife, Kelly hosted a family barbecue at their house for the entire Volkmann clan. Olivia was terrified of these adults who knew her name, but was happy to play with the little people (her 7 cousins.) Benny and I are constantly amazed by how much Scott, Luke, Wyatt, Grace, Ava, and Sam have grown and changed since the last time we saw them.

Another attempt to take a photo of all the grandchildren. We are missing Luke in this picture, but as a bonus we have Jon and Grandma Marie.

On Sunday, we attended Hanna's baptism. Hanna, Benny's niece was born in February, and we were excited to meet her for the first time. What a sweetie. Olivia was happy to help with Hanna by rocking her in her car seat or patting her head. We often had to remind Olivia to be gentle with the baby.

Monday was a relaxing day, spent with Benny's parents. Olivia was showered with attention from Grandma Marie and she soaked it up. Grandma Marie
always had fresh fruit cut and ready for Olivia. And Olivia ate so many strawberries at one point I thought her skin was turning a shade of red.

As an added bonus, Grandma has a swing set and a park near her house, so we played outside as often as we could. Aunt Patti took the day off of work to push Olivia in the swing.

Tuesday was Grace's first T-ball game of the season. The weather turned cold and stayed cold for the rest of our trip. Apparently it was sunny and warm in April. We come from a sunny and warm climate and are treated to temps in the 50s, chilly winds and threats of snow flurries.

Grace's game face

On Wednesday we went to a Minnesota Twins game in their new(!) outdoor stadium. I'll give a full and separate report on that daylong event, including how many hot dogs I ate, later.

It was also Cinco de Mayo, so while Olivia slept and Aunt Patti babysat, Benny and I embraced our Yuma, Arizona past with margaritas. We had a date night! When Patti offered to watch Olivia for us, we practically ran out the door. We saw a movie in a movie theater. We haven't done that since before Olivia was born.

Thursday meant shopping at the one-day sale at Kohls (the girl needs 24 month clothes for this winter) while Olivia played with her male cousins at Grandma's house. And the day ended with one last meal together with Benny's siblings, parents and their children. The house was never quiet. The playing never stopped. Yet it was calm. It was a 6-day vacation that gave us a glimpse of what our life would be like if Benny wasn't in the Navy and we lived in Minnesota instead of Okinawa.

Olivia wasn't happy to leave on Friday morning.

It was time to head south and attend 2 graduations. The hustle and bustle of 7 cousins would definitely slow down in Iowa since Olivia is in the only grandchild on my side of the family. She had finally warmed up to the adults and even gave Aunt Patti a high five. She was determined to stay and play. She was determined she wouldn't have any fun at Grandma Donna's house. Until she crawled toward the toys and looked around waiting for a 2 year old Wyatt to rip it out of her hands. When that didn't happen, she giggled. Maybe being an only grandchild isn't so bad afterall.

My fairy godmother

2010-05-31T06:13:00.002-04:00

Everyone should have a fairy godmother. My fairy godmother has red hair, drinks beer, and is the Boy Scout of mothers. She is always prepared. She is my aunt Heather.

During our most recent vacation, we decided to mix it up (and save some cash) by flying directly from Tokyo to Chicago. Yes, I know I've said before NEVER flying into OHare, but I have to admit, that direct flight was nice. Olivia did the best she has ever done on the plane, mostly contributed to the fact that our plane left Tokyo at 6 p.m. and she hadn't napped all day. After dinner, pajamas, and a short struggle that lasted 3 and half hours, she fell asleep spread across my lap.

But sleep was only a fantasy for me. Every 20 to 40 minutes, Olivia would wake up crying, so I would gently turn her over, rub her back, and hush her back to sleep. I did that for the remaining 10 hours of our flight. Not to mention that I was fighting some kind of nasty head cold, so my ears wouldn't pop.

We touched down in OHare in the afternoon, found our luggage, survived customs and immigration, before climbing into our spacious rental car that was listed as a compact. I couldn't touch Olivia's forehead from the front seat. So unusual.

We arrived at my aunt and uncle's house outside of Chicago in the evening. Exactly what time, I have no idea. Time means nothing after I've flown literally halfway across the world, haven't slept and am surviving on coffee. I remember the food, though. It was delicious. Olivia was happy to play with my cousins, who are closer in age to her than me. And Benny was excited to drink beer, and snuggle in an Iowa State Snuggie.

This brings me to my fairy godmother, Heather. Heather took great care of Benny, Olivia, and I. She let us borrow the best Pack and Play in the world, so Olivia had a place to sleep during our trek. She bought Olivia diapers, wipes, food, snacks, cottage cheese (which she is totally grossed by), and countless other goodies to keep Olivia entertained and prepared for the road trip to Minnesota. All I had to do was pack enough food and diapers for the flight. Heather took care of the rest and let me tell you it was wonderful. It saved me the panic of driving to the first Target we saw when we got on the ground or packing one suitcase with all these essential items.

Her thoughtfulness started our trip on the right tone. Like I said, every mom should have a fairy godmother like Heather when they travel internationally. Thanks again, Heather.

Happy Birthday Gramps!

2010-05-28T09:46:00.004-04:00

Olivia blowing a Happy Birthday kiss.
After your eye appointment today, how many Olivia's do you see?

Today Grandpa Cliff has a birthday. I won't tell you how hold he turns, but that it matches the number of guard Josh Sitton's jersey on his favorite football team.

We love you Pops,
Benny, Michelle, and Olivia

In No Particular Order

2010-05-28T08:38:00.002-04:00

Things I missed about the States:
1. Family and friends
2. The yah sure you betchas
3. Minnesota nice
4. Wide open roads
5. Rolling hills between Minnesota and Iowa
6. Snow (but in May? What a surprise!)

Things I longed for back in Japan (i.e. didn’t miss about the States)
1. ANA or JAL (Japanese airlines) customer service
2. Checking in for a flight takes 15 minutes, tops (United took us over an hour to check in after directing us all over O’Hare)
3. Mothers don’t get the “bonus” search from TSA when travelling
4. My bed
5. Sushi
6. Warm weather

Things I’m grateful for, but not limited to:
1. Great wife
2. Great family, including the in-laws and outlaws
3. Great conversations
4. DVR – thanks Patti and Bob
5. Great Grandma Lydia’s surprise appearance
6. Great seats at Target Field
7. Grandma’s triple berry pie
8. Grandma’s rhubarb crisp
9. Aunt Jane’s caramel apple pie
10. Uncle Jon’s pizza
11. Uncle Bob’s halibut and sweet potato fries
12. Microbrews
13. Great hosts that let us crash in their guest rooms
14. Great hosts Heather, Glenn, Evan and Quinn that put up with Olivia crying in the middle of the night because she thought it was time to start her day and she had a fever.
15. Waking up on our own without the O-alarm (because Grandma already got up and changed, fed, and was playing with Olivia)
16. The annual “try to get all the Volkmann grandkids in one picture” event, including watching all the grandkids swarm around in one room for 17 seconds, then disburse throughout the house like spontaneous combustion
17. Seeing the Twins play baseball outdoors
18. Cheese curds at Target Stadium
19. Walgreen’s children’s motrin – without it there was no way we could treat O’s teething fever for the flight back.
20. The man who woke us up at the gate in Osaka because Michelle, Olivia, and I had fallen asleep and almost missed our connection to Okinawa after our 4 hour layover.
21. Awesome co-pilot (same as number 1)

Unplugged and lovin' it

2010-05-26T07:41:00.002-04:00

One month ago, Benny posted a silly video of him and Olivia. I didn't know that he posted it until I got an email from my cousin about it. At the time, things were a bit hectic. I was super sick with a head cold. I was working to get ahead at work, so my 2-week absence wouldn't be such a huge deal. And I also had the privilege of attending a Japanese fashion show (more on that later). I didn't pack until the hours before we boarded the plane. In all, I wasn't well prepared for this trip. I was just hoping to survive and reminded myself that this was our final roundtrip airplane ride between Okinawa and the United States.

Then on the 14-hour flight, I thought about this story I heard on NPR about unplugged vacations. No blackberry. No iPhone. No Facebook status updates. No blogging. No email. And in my head, it sounded like a dream.

I needed to break from the constant chatter generated by myself on the Internet. I needed to have conversations with those I was visiting. I wanted to live in the moment. No regrets. So that's what I did.

Now I'm back in the flow at work, facing the reality of my upcoming plan to hike Mount Fuji in 2 months. The suitcases are unpacked. The photos are uploaded from the camera. It's time to face reality and plug back in.

Sorry I was gone. I'm back. And I promise I won't unplug anytime soon.

Coming soon to a dinner table near you

2010-04-26T09:19:00.005-04:00

We're taking our act on the road to Illinios, Iowa and Minnesota!

How O Got Her Nickname

2010-04-19T09:28:00.004-04:00

Why we affectionately call her the O-Monster.

Does this scream "I am going to eat you!" or what?

Just like the old days

2010-04-18T09:09:00.003-04:00

Today Benny took the professional engineering license exam (is that what's it's called, Benny?). He has been preparing for months to take this exam and but before that he spent months working on his study schedule for the testing, coursework and online classes he would take to prepare for this test. In a nutshell, Benny's nose has been in a book (not a good book like 100 Years of Solitude, which I recently read and recommend to all to read), but a book filled with numbers and problems that need solutions. I believe they are called problem sets. Is that right, Benny?

For what seems like forever Benny's day has been this routine: get up, go to work, come home, eat and study. Fall asleep while studying. Come to bed. Sleep. Repeat.

My day is this routine: get up, get Olivia ready, go to work, make dinner, feed Olivia, feed Benny, feed myself, wash dishes, laugh, chuckle, shake my head, get Olivia's bag ready for the next day, read a book, wonder when Benny is coming to bed, fall asleep. Repeat.

The laughing and shaking of my head usually happened when Benny was studying using an online prep class through the University of Illinois. The professor would be lecturing about different sample questions and how to solve them (is that right, Benny?) and I would be laughing because as Benny was focused, deep in thought and making notes on graph paper, I honestly thought the guy was speaking French. I understood nothing about what he was saying. I had no connection points and was no help to Benny in this process. In fact I was more of a distraction. It reminded me of our old days at Iowa State.

When I met Benny he was a hard-working engineering student, who would focused at all hours of the night and had never missed a class. Not one class. He talked a lot about problem sets. (I still think this is a fancy word for word problems.)

I, on the other hand, was an average student who looked for every excuse not to attend class. And I had zero math since algebra II when I was a junior in high school. Math is French to me.

So the book smart person in this relationship took a daylong exam today and (hopefully!) passed it. He won't find out the results until July. Boo. But if he passes it, he can put two important letters behind his name (P.E.) and I can become a welcome distraction again. Just like the old days.

Photo-free posts

2010-04-12T09:18:00.003-04:00

I haven't been good about taking photos to document our adventures lately. Maybe I'm a little burned out on blogging or tired. Or both. Whatever the case maybe I'm going to try and get caught up in the next week.

First of all, let's talk about Lent and Easter.

Over 40 days ago, I was going to write about Ash Wednesday. Andrea wrote a heartwarming piece about her sweet experience waiting in line for ashes in southern California. In Okinawa, there was no line, but the chapel was busy.

Our usual Protestant service didn't have a Ash Wednesday service, so we attended the Catholic mass at the chapel. Traffic was a bear getting there. The service started 6 p.m. so we were both rushing around with Olivia trying to get there on time after work. We arrived on time, but the priest was late. Stuck in traffic after mass on one of the northern island bases. So we waited in a packed chapel with hungry bellies.

Once the priest got there, everything was in full swing. This was the first of many church outings where Olivia decided that she would not be seen and not heard. She must be seen. She must be heard. A bottle would not keep her quiet. A cloth book was too boring for her. And even her finger puppets were tossed to the floor, in the pews in front of us, in the pews behind us. Yes we were those parents at church. The one who continue to offer toys to their child who doesn't want any of these toys. She wants to go home and go to bed.

First before we could do that we heard a vague sermon listing the things we needed to do for Lent. 1) Don't eat red meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and every Friday during Lent. I neglected to remember this rule every Friday. I even made meatballs one Friday night. I hope God forgives me.
2) Give up something for Lent. The priest said it has to be something that we truly love and that is interfering with our love for Jesus. And if we didn't know what to give up, God would tell us. And we would try to talk him out of it. God told him coffee and I said "seriously?"

At the time I was surviving on caffeine. I would drink two cups of coffee in the morning. Then around 3 p.m. I would have another coffee or Japanese apple tea to power through the drive to Olivia's daycare and the evening. Coffee was my happy place.

So I gave up coffee the next day. And it was awful. Nearly unbearable. The second day was worse. On the third day, I was thankful it was Saturday and told Benny I needed a nap if I wasn't going to drink coffee.

On Monday (less than a week into withdrawal), I declared to my co-workers that God wanted me to have coffee. In face, I believe that he created coffee for working mothers like myself. My guilty conscience told me no.

As I turned the calendar to April, I was overjoyed. The first thing I did on Easter Sunday was brewed a pot of coffee. I hadn't been this excited for Easter since I was a child. But that cup didn't taste as good as I remember. In fact, it was mediocre. But that didn't stop me from having a second cup. And a third cup.

Yes, I could live without the coffee. I proved that I could do it ... if I had to. Did I want to? Never again.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T06:35:00.000-04:00

Benny loves an April Fools prank

2010-03-31T23:24:00.001-04:00

Editor's note: My co-worker wrote this item for last year. I thought it was so entertaining, I had to share it.

Omaru No Hi
Japan is known for many things—elegant sakura, delectable sushi, futuristic electronics—but to some foreigners who have either traveled through or lived in the country, there’s another infamous aspect of the Land of the Rising Sun. Walk into any public restroom and you’re likely to find something surprising: a row of low in-ground toilets. And yet, while these washiki commodes (sometimes referred to as “squatty potties”) seem a little strange to visitors, they are so culturally important that they even have their own holiday, Omaru No Hi.

Omaru No Hi translates somewhat awkwardly to “Day of the Toilet.” The holiday commemorates the invention of washiki toilets as well as the life of their inventor and Japan’s great unifier, Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Hideyoshi ruled with a strict iron fist throughout the late 1500’s, but his beginnings were humble. As a youth, he worked his way up through the ranks of Oda clan as a lowly servant, a sandal bearer, and a castle repairman. His superiors took notice of him as a skillful negotiator, ultimately honoring him with a position as one of many Oda generals. By 1583, Hideyoshi had risen above all other generals and heirs to become the Oda clan’s leader; in the next 15 years, he methodically conquered provinces through Japan, effectively ending the rule of multiple clans.

Though Hideyoshi’s cultural influence manifests in many ways in modern Japan, perhaps his most formidable legacy is the washiki toilet. Beyond unifying Japan, Hideyoshi longed to conquer other lands, from China to Korea. But he did not believe in his countrymen—he thought that the Japanese people had grown collectively weak, unable to toil away in neither the rice field nor the battle field. His great homeland’s honor was at stake. And so he imposed a unique yet logical law: all traditional sitting toilets would be removed and replaced with washiki toilets, forcing anyone using a bathroom to squat and exercise their muscles. He believed that by strengthening the legs of the people, their hearts, souls, and honor would also be strengthened. And therefore, they would conquer.

Though Hideyoshi wasn’t successful in conquering Korea or China, he is still strengthening the legs of bathroom-users throughout Japan. Omaru No Hi is celebrated annually on the first day of April. There are no parades or large festivals for this day; rather, the event is celebrated quietly in public restrooms and private homes. Special wreaths woven from bamboo reeds are placed above each toilet and incense lit (the smoke is believed to cleanse the air). At the end of the day, a bit of salt is flushed to rid the toilet of bad spirits.

So on April 1, if you happen to find yourself in a public restroom, be sure to partake in this small bit of culture—pause and pay respect to the noble washiki.

Chuckled to myself when I ran across this in Stars and Stripes

2010-03-28T10:59:00.000-04:00

Overheard at the commissary

2010-03-27T23:55:00.002-04:00

Husband to wife, "Was that a regular dozen, baker's dozen, or Japanese dozen eggs you wanted?"