Jeff's Homecoming
Jeff served a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Hong Kong, China. He returned on New Year's Eve, 2007. My parents flew to Hong Kong to pick him up from his mission, and stayed for several days to tour China.
We all flew into Salt Lake City to welcome them home.
And yes, this is a rare picture of Dave, smiling, in the snow. Mr. I-Hate-The-Cold-White-Stuff had fun, and loved the big clompy snowshoes and "glubs". I think living in south Texas deprived him of a basic childhood experience, which scars him to this day.
We kept giving him advice on how to turn: you lean, like a bike. But it didn't help, and the last steep hill was his most spectacular face plant. Chris went first in a cloud of snowspray, but made it down. I was next, and although I got stuck twice, I sledded to the bottom. Dave travelled 10 feet, and immediately fell off his sled, which kept going without him! So he had to wade through 3-foot deep snow for 20 yards to reach the sled and us at the bottom. We all laughed pretty hard!
Here my parents are telling us how the goods they brought back are "Armani" or "Nike", or so the Chinese salesmen would tell them.
I asked for a musical instrument, and they brought me a "hulusi" (literally "gourd silk" because of it's silky, clarinet-like sound), a reed pipe that sounds very oriental. Dave got an abacus, which he's always wanted.
I am really interested in China. You're going to Europe? That's nice. You visited Bolivia? Interesting. But whenever NPR does a story on China, my ears perk up. I've recently devoured 2 Chinese biographies, and my favorite "country" at Epcot was China with the 360 degree movie. I was full of questions for Jeff & my parents. What a fascinating country.
Dave and I did all the meal planning and welcome home decorations. Thank heaven for The Party Store. Jeff read the Chinese symbols for us, and there were streamers and paper lanterns and fans and paper lanterns all over the house. Mom and Dad were just glad not to have to do it after all that travelling.
Jeff told us all about living, seeing, and sharing the gospel in Hong Kong. He spoke Cantonese for us, and laughed when I tried to pronounce 12345678910. We watched my parents' video of the great wall and the Forbidden City and downtown Hong Kong. Very cool.
It's best played in a crowd, and totally insane. The side of the box
says "Game may encourage cheating creative playing."
So charming, father. It brings out your eyes.
They're just surgical tubing inside a plush toy with sound effects. The monkeys did have capes. I highly recommend those.
Dave and Liz Robertson
Family
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