Summer memories

What a great summer we have had. Our goal this year was to try and make as many family memories as we could that were different and fun.  Some of those memories we had to go away to do but others we could do right here at home.  Our adventures started in Vernon B.C. where we go every year to visit with Prince Charming's dad and step mom.  They own a cabin on Lake Okanagan and they spoil us over the week we are there with them.  We always have a wonderful time.  This year we decided to continue on to Vancouver after our stay in Vernon.

The drive was beautiful and we didn't have too many  issues with whiney children because with snacks, activities and movies along the way, getting there is half the fun.  While in Vancouver we saw the new Vancouver temple, which is gorgeous, and we visited Stanley Park and the Capilano suspension bridge.

I had been wanting the kids to have an opportunity to see the ocean for a couple of years so I was excited to see their faces when we stopped at a beach that overlooked the harbour and they could see where the land ended and where the ocean went on forever.  Needless to say that we went home with pockets full of sea shells.  I learned that boiling them takes away the dead fish smell.

After a couple of days in Vancouver we drove on to Seattle Washington - what a place.  I had always wanted to go and I loved what I saw.  It is a very pretty city, with a great vibe to it and very friendly people.  I also liked the no sales tax for visitors north of  the border.  We visited Pike Place Market where everyone one of us was able to find a neat souvenir from our trip.  It is a very busy place with many interesting shops.  Our favourite was the fish shop where they put on a show while selling their catch.  They literally throw the fish and catch it on the other side of the shop delighting everyone  with their quick hands and strong grip.  At one point people were so enthralled with their show that everyone was standing there watching and no one was buying so they had to remind us that they were open for business.  We also went to a Mariners game at Safeco  base ball field while we were there. It was a very fun experience, a beautiful field and a great view of the Seattle sky line.
I was sad to leave Seattle but we were excited to visit our Peterson cousins in Seattle Washington.  They are so much fun to visit and made us feel very welcome.  Our kids had lots of cousins to play with and Matthew and I became quite tempted to move to Washington in the near future.

 Another fun memory maker was our camping trip to Jasper with our good friends the Malletts. We stayed for three nights at the Whistler camp ground and enjoyed hiking, swimming at  the hot springs, eating over a fire and telling funny stories into the night.  Ghost stories were not aloud. We have had a lot of fun this summer and we are sad it is coming to an end although mom is tired of all the laundry from our travels.  It will be a summer we will all remember and look back on and we hope to build on these memories in summers to come.