Lake House Relaxation and House-Hunting

We just returned from a fabulous vacation, courtesy of Mom and Steve, who graciously allowed us to interrupt their lives for two weeks. They live right on a lake in the lovely Northwest - complete with private dock. The kids had so much fun kayaking, paddle-boating, playing with dogs, and searching for wildlife (thanks, Steve for coming up with "Wildlife Bingo") that they never once asked to watch TV. Ryan and I got away to Ontario for a couple of days of house-hunting near Hamilton. (Why is it that it is so much cheaper to fly to Ontario from Seattle, than it is to fly to Ontario from Regina? It is over a 1000 miles further!) It is stressful to know that you have less than two days to find a home, but God was gracious and dropped the perfect home right in our laps. Caledonia, Ontario will be our home as of July 21st. We're excited at the prospect of hosting friends and family and showing off the wonders of the Niagra region, the Greater Toronto Area, and Festival Country. Thank you Gloria Payton, real estate agent Extraordinare! We arrived back in Seattle in time to celebrate, Hawaiian style, the birthdays of our own 10 year old, Annie Kate, and my new sister, Deanna. (Of course, all family members present were thinking wistfully of last summer's jaunt to the actual Hawaii -- Mom, Steve, what about next year?)