The Roberts in Korea

Lukas' Family

We are so thankful for Aunt LaVonne, Rhonda, Randy and Lukas!  They all met us at the airport, they let us invade their space and explode our luggage all over their house, they fed us tons of healthy Western food (like hamburgers, Cheetos, steak, hamburgers, Mexican food, milkshakes, hamburgers, fried chicken, cake and hamburgers), and they chauffeured us all over town--they really took great care of us.

Randy kept the coffee pot on and the BBQ hot.  He stood by  and gave morale support as I worked on some leaky plumbing at our house in Boise.  He had my Pathfinder ready to roll.  He teased, played with and loved my daughters like they were his own.

Rhonda opened her home and shared her mom, son and husband with us.  She kept my bills in line and my checkbook in order.  She kept us updated with pictures all year and made sure that her precious little boy knew who Dina, Ryan, Becca and Sarah were.  She laughed at all my jokes and gave us a tour through BSU :)

Aunt LaVonne has been cooking up delicious food and I have gained a few kilos (as they say in South  Korea) since arriving in the States.  She has loved my girls, taken them shopping and has already had them over, more than once for a fun "slumber party."  Her words of encouragement, life of service and constant support are a great blessing to us.

Lukas!!  What a joy he is to us.  He kept us laughing and loving.  He is so sharp and so fun.  His cousins, Becca and Sarah, had a great time playing with him.  He is a blessing.

We had a quick and great time in Boise--the zoo, the butterfly pavilion, Cafe Ole, the park, the coffee shops, the sleepovers, the Riverside, and the patio fun.  We thank God for Lukas' family!

Friends

We have been gone from Idaho for nearly a year.  It is strange to come back to a place after a year of being gone and notice all of the changes and realize that life goes on.  It is a weird feeling to drive by "our" house in Boise and not go in and live there--someone else is living there (Thanks to Susan and Katie for doing such a nice job of caring for our house).  Our yard looks better than I ever kept it! (Thanks Brad, Tom and Colette).

It is very apparent that life has gone on in Boise over this past  year--but at the same time many things seem the same.  We left Boise in the summer and we have returned to Boise in the summer.  Did a year pass or just a couple of days? 

All of us have gone through a year of living--the dailyness of living has played upon our lives and it has changed us, it has formed us, and we are all different.  None of us are the same.  However, I have found one thing that doesn't change and that is--dear friends.

In the few days that we have been in Boise we have been busy--recovering  from jet lag, buying a few much needed clothing items we couldn't find in South Korea, fixing leaking plumbing (I really missed this in South Korea), doctor and orthodontist appointments, preparing for our trip to Montana to visit family and many other things--yet in the midst of all this "catch up" and busyness we have had the chance to see some dear friends.

It is so great to see dear friends and just pick up where we left off--regardless of the passing of time and life experience.    It is hard to explain the blessing of having friends and family at the airport waiting to welcome you home.  The phone calls and spontaneous get togethers are greatly appreciated.

We are thankful for you--our friends and family--and look forward to reconnecting with many more of you over the next few weeks. 

Back In Idaho

We knew we were "home"--back in Idaho--when we found ourselves sitting on the back patio of my cousin's place with Randy, Rhonda, Aunt LaVonne, and little Lukas with a BBQ burger in one hand and a cold glass  of A and W rootbeer in the other (they don't have root beer in South Korea). 

It is warm and wonderful here in Idaho (no humidity, yay!)  We are having a good time seeing loved ones and reuniting with friends.

Randy and I had a laugh as we cruised around his yard on a mini-bike (Idaho style).  I could use one of  these in South Korea.

Dole Pineapple Plantation

On the way home from the North Shore and snorkeling we stopped by the Dole Pineapple Plantation.  It was a fun place to visit--with lots of good food, if you like pineapple.

Here is Becca and Sarah next to a pineapple plant.

We ate some pineapple goodies--pineapple float, pineapple upsidedown cake, pineapple sundae, fresh pineapple, and pineapple ice cream in a waffle cone.  Yum!

Snorkeling On the North Shore

On Wednesday we piled in the rental car and drove to the North Shore.  We  headed for the big waves.  Actually, it is the wrong time of the year for the "big waves" at the North Shore--we went there for the snorkeling. 

We went to Shark's Bay on the North Shore, parked the car and walked across  the street to rent four sets of masks, snorkels and fins.  We put on the gear and went for it.  It was a blast.  We snorkeled in both some shallow areas and some deep areas.  We saw all types of fish in the water and up close.  It was like we were in the movie, "Finding Nemo."

We got buffeted by some waves and came away with a few bruises and some minor cuts (scratches) from the rocks and coral but the local that rented us the equipment said that is all part of the experience.  Yeah, right.

We all swam around like a bunch of fish--with the fish.  It was a lot of fun!

Polynesian Cultural Center

On Tuesday we drove to the Eastern side of Oahu and visited the Polynesian Cultural Center.  It was an amazing time.  The day was beautiful and we enjoyed walking around and taking in all of the different cultural presentations featured at the center.

We learned about Samoan culture and people.  Wow, they are full of life!  Here is a  picture of Becca and Sarah with a Samoan.  In the evening pageant this man was the finale performer--he did an amazing act of spinning two torches that were on fire at both ends. We also learned about the people of the Hawaiian Islands and of Fiji, Tahiti and others.

In the evening we attended a Luau.  The food was delicious.  We saw them pull the pig that they had been cooking all day out of the ground.  The dinner show was a great time of "Don Ho" style music.

Following the Luau we attended the Gala program featuring dancing, music  and performance from all of the Polynesians peoples and cultures.  It was a wonderful time.

Monday--Fried!!

On Monday we spent the day at Waikiki Beach....and we got fried!   As we all rub lotion on our lobster red arms and backs I can hear a little voice in my head saying, "If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough."

It's no fun being dumb or tough.  We used 30 sun block and 15 sunblock and apparently the two don't add up to equal 45 sunblock.  It isn't all that bad.  We are ok.

We had a blast at the beach all day.  We had boogie boards and spent the day in the water, "riding the waves."  In the evening we went for a walk and ended up eating dinner at a restaurant called, "The Best Cheeseburger In Paradise."  Good stuff!

Father's Day

We had a great day on Sunday.  We slept in till nearly noon.  We are on our way to recovering from jet lag.  We went to a nearby Dennys for breakfast at one in the afternoon.  It was delicious!  There are no Dennys restaurants in  South Korea so we greatly enjoyed the pancakes, hashbrowns, bacon, sausage and fried eggs.

We spent the afternoon at Waikiki--laying on the beach and splashing in the waves.  The weather here is amazing.  It is warm and refreshing.  There are some trade winds blowing but they are enjoyable and serve to augment  the experience by putting the wave into the waving palm trees.

Sunday evening we went to a nearby Chilis for dinner and spent the evening walking around taking in all the sights.  There are many different street shows to watch and lots of great shops full of Hawaiian items and souvenirs.  I had a great Father's Day here in Hawaii.  I am truly blessed and humbled to be the father of Becca and Sarah and to be married to Dina.  It was very special for me to be able to share this Father's Day with my precious family here in Hawaii.

Really though, any time and place that I am with Dina and my precious girls...... is paradise.

Aloha!

What day is it?  We spent a loooong day (felt like two days) of traveling from South Korea to Hawaii.  We are finally here in Hawaii.  We arrivied in Narita, Japan at about noon on Saturday.  After we secured our tickets and put some of our carry-on luggage in  a locker we exchanged some Korean Won for Japanese Yen (I have three different currencies in my wallet) and caught a train into downtown Narita, Japan. 

We enjoyed a leisurely walk down a quaint little street in Narita.  There were lots of shops, Japanese signs and fun things to look at.  At the end of the street we came upon a huge Buddhist Temple.  The temple area had many interestinig and beautiful buildings to look at and on the back side of the temple area there was an amazing 40 acre parcel of land that was covered with huge elborate trees and pathways that meandered through many different shrines and gravesite areas.

At 9:00 p.m. on Saturday evening we boarded a plane bound for the island of Oahu, Hawaii.  We all slept a lot on the flight and arrived in Hawaii at 9:00 a.m. Saturday morning (yes, Saturday again).  We moved through customs and caught a shuttle bus to  the Alamo car rental agency.  We rented a car and followed a map to the condo we are staying in on Seaside Blvd.  We had a hard time securing the key to the condo and we ended up driving into downtown Honlulu to pick up the key to the condo--another adventure.

Once we were settled into our room we spent some time looking at the shops, etc. around the area that we are staying and then we wandered down to Waikiki Beach.  It is amazing.  The water is a bright blue-green color and the beach is packed with people.  The water is warm and it didn't take long for Becca and Sarah to make their way into the waves.  We spent awhile on the beach and then went back to our room to clean up a bit.  We ate dinner at an International shopping area and food court and we were in bed by 10:00 p.m.  We thank God for this very loooong but great day.

Sitting In Narita, Japan

Just a quick note from Japan.  I only have 11 minutes left on my internet time. (I am at one of those internet rental access points in the airport--it is 100 Yen per 10 minutes) We had a great flight from Incheon to Narita, Japan (Tokyo).  After a challenging time of securing our boarding passes for the trip from Naraita to Hawaii we caught a train to downtown Narita and did some sightseeing.  Our layover here in Narita is nearly 8 hours so we needed to do something.  We had a great time looking in shops and touring a huge Buddhist Temple.  (Pictures will follow later).

We are having a great time thus far.  We are scheduled to board a plane to Hawaii in less than two hours.  We are going to try to sleep on the plane (it is a 7 hour flight) as we will be arriving in Hawaii at 9:00 a.m.--ready to start Saturday all over again.

Pray for the people on the roads in Hawaii.  We are planning on renting a car while we are there and I haven't driven a car in nearly a year!  Yipes.  I will try to find internet access in Hawaii and post some pics and keep you updated.  Thanks for checking in.