2014 Year In Review

Cheers to a New Year!

Trying to make it just in time to continue our annual newsletter tradition...

It was a busy end-of-year but we hope you enjoy reading our updates and send us your updates too!

Love, The Pollock Family

Giovanni

Now 6 years old, Giovanni is in 1st grade and loves it. He is not a "wittle kid" anymore (a Kindergartner).

"Oh, you're a big kid now, huh?" we ask. 

"No! I'm a medium kid!" he says.

As a "medium kid" he now proudly walks by himself to and from the bus every day. He has developed his reading and math skills including telling time and counting currency.

1st Day of 1st Grade! September 2014

Giovanni is staying busy with new activities including piano lessons, and Cub Scouts. He will perform Quiet River in his first piano concert at the end of January (when his Grandpa will be here!).

Weekly Piano Lessons with Mrs. Mimi

He really loves being a Tiger Cub (the youngest Scout group) where he has learned Scout traditions to earn badges, pins, and belt loops for his cool, new uniform.

    

Cub Scout Fun

Most recently, Giovanni has been using his free time to practice magic tricks. He loves to perform as a magician and won't reveal his secrets…unless you ask him (haha!) :D. He will be 7 years old on January 28th!

Giovanni’s Current Favorites:

Color: Orange Food: Apple Drink: Lemonade Snack: Popcorn Movie: The Lego Movie Book: any by Dr.Seuss Wii Games: Skylanders, Super Mario Brothers, and Star Wars  Favorite Pastimes: watching Netflix, boogie boarding, and performing Magic Tricks!

Michelle

Michelle conquered some big personal goals in 2014. She earned her scuba diving certification, started a business and was accepted to teach as a college instructor.

Scuba Certified!

Yes, this was the year that answered her long-debated questions and fears. Finally it was time to stop analyzing the perfect career plan, and start “testing the waters” (literally and figuratively).

She dabbled in various interests, including Professional Organizing (not quite), Excel training (almost), and ultimately came back to her business and marketing roots. 
She now runs her own resume writing and consulting business from home, The Polished Professional.

She advertises locally on an online community board and since beginning in October, business has been consistently rolling in! Her primary clients are transitioning or former military members returning to the civilian world. She loves that she gets paid to work from home, while using her passion for computer skills and obsessive document editing, to help clients market their best self.

Polished Professional Head Shot
Photo Credit: Claudia Sherman

She was also accepted to teach as an adjunct instructor for Central Texas College at the local Okinawa campus (teaching Principles of Marketing, Microsoft Office, Public Speaking, and more). She was prepared to start teaching in March 2015, but recently reconsidered to focus on her business. She also volunteers regularly at a Marine Corps family training office where she contributes her expertise in marketing classes and workshop development. And she's loving her Japanese straight hair perm!

Henry

Henry continues to stay busy as "the Navy guy" in the Marine Corps world where he works in engineering and strategic planning. In his position as Naval Construction Force Liaison to the Marines, he has been traveling quite a lot around the Pacific region, including South Korea, Philippines, and Hawaii.


Of course, he always manages to squeeze in a bit of adventurous recreational activity into his trips. In Hawaii, he surfed Waikiki and North Shore, took on his first sky dive, and biked the mountainsides, during down time from training and conferences.

In June, he experienced Marine Jungle Warfare Training in a remote area of Okinawa in the sizzling heat. It was an 8-day combat training mission "playing Rambo" (face paint and all) rappelling cliffs, camping outdoors, and hunting for “the enemy,” while yelling Stallone movie lines from the top of his lungs. He loved every minute of it.

  

Don't mess with Rambo!

He also completed a 10K Marine mud run/obstacle course (injury free!) and on weekends he transforms into a 'merman' for regular scuba dive trips around the island, stand-up paddle boarding (SUP), or surfing when waves are decent (which is rare by a Puerto Rican surfer’s standards).

Travel, Trips and Vacations

Hawaii, California, Bali, and Thailand - Oh My! 

Ah, Pollock-style traveling.... We like to consider our approach “vacation roulette" because we never really know where we will end up and for just how long...

HAWAII

In April, we had planned to visit the Philippines via Space-A (space-available, or 'standby', on military cargo planes)... but, when the plan fell through last-minute, we headed for Hawaii instead with a stop in Guam along the way.

We traveled the island of Oahu for 5 days sleeping in a 1970’s “Shaggy” Volkswagen camper van. We enjoyed every minute of the unplanned experience ... well, almost every minute - the rare shower was a bit, er, discomforting, but survivable. All in all, an awesome trip.

CALIFORNIA

Michelle and Giovanni also flew space-A this summer. 
After an eternal 17-day wait on standby, we arrived in California and spent a long and awesome 6 weeks, with a much needed dose of family time and friends. 
The highlights included Disneyland, a stay at the Legoland Hotel, lake camping, and a harbor yacht cruise.

And you guessed it - we traveled space-A on the return home too! Luckily we were invited to fly with a Seabee battalion group deploying to Okinawa and we flew on a commercial Delta plane FIRST class! Vacation roulette paid off big time!

Lucky Us! First Class non-stop from California to Okinawa!
Yay for Vacation Roulette!

BALI

In July, Henry took a week-long solo surf trip to Bali, Indonesia. Finally, his lifelong dream trip had come true!

For five days straight, he surfed perfect, overhead waves all around the island. He traveled on a $7-per-day scooter accessorized with a surfboard rack, and bravely charged the hair-raising Indonesian driving in search of new-found surf breaks. This was certainly the highlight of his year. After such an amazing experience, we were glad he decided to jump on the return plane back home.

 

Surfing Perfect Bali

THAILAND

And most recently for Christmas and New Year’s, we visited Thailand (not on Space-A)! 
We had an amazing backpacking vacation (sans suitcases) traveling the northern, central, and southern area via planes, overnight trains, buses, scooters, and tuk-tuks (motorcycle taxis).

We arrived in Thailand with only 3 of the 10 days scheduled. 
The rest was plan-as-we-go based on availability due to the peak holiday season. 

Our Ambitious 10-day route

From Bangkok in Central Thailand(1), to Chiang Mai in the North(2), to Ayutthaya (the old capital)(3), to the island of Ko Samui in the southern peninsula(4), and back to Bangkok!

Flexibility and mobility was the name of the game but we managed to see everything we had hoped for including: elephants, whitewater rafting, trekking to waterfalls, bamboo rafts, long neck women from indigenous tribes, and many amazing palaces, temples, and Buddha shrines. 

It was a great (and very busy) way to end the wonderful year.

Our First Whitewater Rafting Experience!

Our First Elephant Ride!
Chiang Mai (northern Thailand)

Wat Pho - Largest Reclining Buddha. Bangkok

Long Neck Karen - Indigenous Tribe in northern Thailand

Visitors (Irishasaime! Welcome!)

Amanda (Michelle’s sister), came to Okinawa in January. They traveled to Tokyo for an amazing shopping trip. Nitza (Henry’s mom) also came and stayed 3 weeks to be a part of Giovanni’s birthday, and Michelle's birthday!

Family Fun

Michelle and Henry take Salsa lessons twice a month, but sadly have no moves to show for it (practicing would help). They also attended the Marine Corps Ball in November and have been practicing yoga regularly.

Marine Corps Ball, November 2014

As a family we completed a 5k “color run”, and went camping several times at Okuma, a recreation facility on the island. In the warmer months, we snorkeled, sailed, and stand-up paddle boarded as a family.

Color Fun Run! April 2014

We are finding our place in routine, friends and favored pastimes as we continue to adjust to life in the Pacific Far East!

Thank you for reading! 

Please leave us a comment below and send us your news and updates! 

While we live far away, we like to stay in touch with all our loved ones. 

We wish you and your family, good health, blessings, and many adventures in this New Year!

Love, Michelle, Henry and Giovanni